Pacific Island communities are set to benefit from laptops which have been upgraded and donated by Bay of Plenty residents.

Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Turner, youth services officer Nga Utanga and Senior Constable Gaylene Macfarlane are each taking laptops to different areas in the Pacific Islands as part of a joint venture between New Zealand AID, New Zealand Police and non-profit organisation of police services, Pacific Island Chiefs of Police.

Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Turner, youth services officer Nga Utanga and Senior Constable Gaylene Macfarlane will be taking laptops to Tonga, donated by the Rotary Club of Katikati. Photo: Letitia Atkinson.

The Pacific Prevention of Domestic Violence programme is aimed at giving people the skills to prevent domestic violence in their community.

Greg says the programme is entering its sixth year and he has been a mentor to the Tongan community since June, 2012.

This Saturday, Greg is embarking on an eight-day trip to Nuku?alofa, the capital of Tonga, located on the north coast of Tongatapu in the southernmost island group of Tonga.

'I will be taking three laptops with me and giving them to the Tonga Women's Crisis Centre, the National Centre for Women and Children, and the Salvation Army.

'It's a great opportunity to give support to the local community and work alongside with local organisations.”

The laptops were donated by the Rotary Club of Katikati. Rotarian Peter MacKay says the laptops are completely stripped down and have new software installed before they are shipped to the islands.
'We have two IT specialists who work around the clock to make sure there is nothing left on the hard drives. They then install Microsoft programs so they are all ready to go when they get to their destination.”

The laptops were given to Katikati Rotary by Ballance, a Mount Maunganui-based company, which donates the technology when it is time to upgrade their equipment.

'We pass the laptops onto the Rotary as a way of giving something back to the community. It's good for the environment too,” says spokesperson Tim Lloyd.