MOKO Foundation given $300,000 Vodafone New Zealand Foundation grant

Dr Lance O'Sullivan and his wife Tracy, from the MOKO Foundation which has recently been granted $300,000. Photo/File

Young people living in remote Northland communities will now have the opportunity to learn about technology, coding and science thanks to $300,000 granted to a Northland trust.

The MOKO Foundation, a charitable trust in the Far North, has been selected by the Vodafone New Zealand Foundation for a 2017 Extension Partnership grant.

MOKO Foundation trustee Tracy O'Sullivan said the grant, $300,000 over three years, will allow the foundation to take a mobile innovation hub - a van filled with technology - into five remote Far North communities.

The digital classroom on wheels will introduce children to things like computer coding and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) technologies and will also help young people with career planning.

"The idea is to get kids engaged using technology and to get them interested in the digital world.

"It doesn't matter if you live rurally, you can still be globally connected. It gives kids a world view. It's about opening their minds," Ms O'Sullivan said.

She said the programme would help expose young people to things, such as coding, they might not have been introduced to otherwise.

"The lightbulb might turn on and they might realise 'I really like this, this is what I want to do'. The next step would be to pathway them into student internships and things like that."

Ms O'Sullivan said there would also be access to iMOKO - an app which enables the remote diagnosis of non-serious conditions, such as skin infections; dental infections, strep throat; and other health problems, providing faster assessment and treatment for children who may not be able to easily visit a medical clinic.

She said the five communities which will benefit from the mobile innovation hub had not yet been identified but she expected the programme to roll out sometime this year.