Whanganui, Marton, Bulls get free online banking classes

A converted school bus will roll into Whanganui on July 29, to teach about online banking and how to avoid internet scams. Photo / Supplied

Whanganui is the first place in New Zealand to get a visit from Dora, the digital bus.

She rolls into the Whanganui area for seven weeks on July 29 - to give free classes in online banking.

The open day is on July 29, from 10am to 2.30pm, parked up on the Whanganui War Memorial Centre forecourt.

After that the bus will move around libraries, retirement villages, marae and supermarkets in Whanganui Marton and Bulls, offering free two-hour classes in the Stepping UP training module.

The classes are about online banking, and how to avoid internet scams.

Kiwibank is a partner in Stepping UP, but people using any bank can benefit from the module.

The bus seats 10 people at a time, and people can find out where it will be and register for classes at either the www.steppingup.nz website or their library.

Inside Dora (Digital On-Road Access) are 10 workstations, each with a refurbished laptop computer and internet connection. The computers are powered by solar panels atop the bus.

The initiative is from Digital Inclusion Alliance Aotearoa (DIAA), chairman Laurence Zwimpfer said. The alliance's aim is to give everyone an equal opportunity to benefit from digital technology.

The Whanganui classes will be provided with the help of Whanganui libraries. Manager Peter Gray said it was a great opportunity and Whanganui's four libraries already offer DIAA's JUMP internet service programme.