Smart billboard will donate to Fred Hollows Foundation each time someone looks at it

Specsavers is claiming a New Zealand first with a smart billboard that will donate $1 to the Fred Hollows Foundation every time someone looks at it.

The digital billboard will be live in the Rialto Shopping Centre in Newmarket from now until December 23.

It uses facial recognition technology built into its screen to detect when a passer-by sees it.

Donations are capped at $10,000.

Specsavers has also teamed up with the iconic Kiwi artist Dick Frizzell for a limited-edition lens cloth.

The $3 cloth features the Hawkes Bay artist's iconic "Woodgrain" print, which was first designed over 30 years ago.

Like the smart billboard, proceeds will go to the Fred Hollows Foundation, which is helping to combat blindness around the world.

The project is aiming to raise funds to send a Pacific-based nurse on a year-long course at the Foundation's training centre in Fiji. Participants return from this training with the expertise and equipment to allow them to look after the eyes of those in their community, potentially saving the vision of thousands of people.