Bathgate Park School pupils are the proud new owners of $10,000 of technology.
Sixteen iPads were given to the school yesterday by children's charity Variety, as part of its Laptops for Learning programme, which aims to provide iPads and laptops to low-decile schools across New Zealand.
Variety chief executive Lorraine Taylor said the donation followed $20,000 of funding provided to the charity by insurance broker NZI at the end of last year.
Half the funding had been allocated to the school and the remaining $10,000 had been used to buy Christmas presents for and to sponsor disadvantaged children, she said.
‘‘We are delighted to be helping a school in Dunedin.''
Bathgate Park School deputy principal Katrina Robertson said the donation was ‘‘like Christmas'' for the decile 3 school.
‘‘Exposure to technology is important.
‘‘Having this influx of technology does make a huge difference to what we can offer the children.''
At a school assembly to present the iPads, Ms Taylor joked it was ‘‘fabulous'' to help in Dunedin, instead of Aucklanders ‘‘always getting everything''.
Pupils were eager to tell Ms Taylor how the iPads would be used, including for letter writing, playing games and ‘‘doing maths''.
Taylor Shanks said the donation was ‘‘really cool''.
‘‘I really, really like it.''
The pupils showed their appreciation for the gift by performing a haka at the end of the assembly.
