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Using Recycled Computers Wisely
Accessing Learning Power Computers
Products & Prices
Tell Us Your Stories
Acknowledgements

Learning Power is a national programme which has been developed to give our schools greater access to information and communications technology. It does this by helping schools buy older computers and peripherals which have been refurbished and upgraded through a national 'Computer Access' recycling scheme coordinated by the Computer Access NZ Trust (CANZ).

The Learning Power initiative aims to harness the wealth of older computers that become available after companies and organisations upgrade their systems.

CANZ was set up in early 1999, as an initiative of the 2020 Communications Trust, supported by the Ministry of Education, and with advice from the School Trustees' Association, NZ Principals' Federation, Secondary Principals' Association of New Zealand and the major computer recycling companies.

Recycling computers for school students' use is a small but important part of the New Zealand Government's Information and Communications Technology (ICT) strategy, and it is a positive approach to two issues:

1. making sufficient affordable, quality computers available to schools, especially in low income communities;
2. ensuring continuing use of resources which would otherwise damage the environment if dumped.

These computers are often only three or four years old, and they are usually quite able to handle popular business applications used in schools, such as word-processing, databases and spreadsheets. They can also handle email, general Internet browsing, and many multi-media activities.

Schools can order refurbished computers whose quality standards and capabilities are supported by the CANZ (Learning Power) brand.

Administration of Learning Power activities such as recycled computer advice and ordering is delegated to the CANZ organisation.

Working with CANZ, managers of the Learning Power project established a series of quality standards which recycled machines are required to meet. Two regional recycling companies have been accredited by CANZ, and are approved Learning Power computer suppliers. All CANZ systems are sold with a warranty, and volume discounts may be available for multiple purchases.

Read more information about CANZ configurations and pricing.

As well as supplying 'new' recycled machines, the recycling companies refurbish and upgrade schools' existing machines, networks and peripherals.

Key principles behind the Learning Power programme:

• New Zealand schools don't want or need reject computers with little or no memory or hard drive. They do need professionally recycled, upgraded machines that meet high minimum standards and come with a warranty – that's what they get from the Learning Power recycling scheme.

• A desirable objective is one computer for every five students. If they were new and replacement machines, the cost of achieving this ratio would be unrealistic. But 1:5 is achievable if New Zealand's corporate world commits to the recycling scheme – choosing to donate computers for recycling rather than to dump them.

• Recycled computers sold by accredited CANZ supply companies are at least 486 machines, Windows 95 capable, with a network card. With machines like that, schools can browse the Internet, download learning resources, use email, run word processing, spreadsheets, and graphics software. Some older machines may also be available from CANZ recyclers. If these machines are clustered with a good file server and 'thin client' technology, they can run 'Office' applications at a very acceptable Pentium rate. This is being achieved with recycled machines in a number of schools, including Gisborne Intermediate (see webpage 'Mike Bugden and Tamati Elers of Gisborne Intermediate talk about their changing school 'thin client' ICT setup').

• The key issues for schools are not whether to have recycled or brand new computers; it is having sufficient quantity and quality of computers to achieve the learning goals they seek for their students. With CANZ recycled machines they can achieve both.

• Prices to schools of recycled computers from accredited recycler have been set well under the purchase price of new machines. This gives boards of trustees far more purchasing power and choice.

• Businesses, government departments and homes should never be forced to dispose of leftover computers by dumping them. Instead they have an immediate solution – donation to recyclers accredited by Computer Access New Zealand, a nationally controlled and quality managed recycling computer programme. In this way they can help young New Zealanders learn more, learn faster, and achieve their goals.