Computing giant includes rural secondary schools in “vision’ competition

The HP Rural Schools Competition, in its third year, gives rural New Zealand primary schools - and for the first time this year - secondary schools, the chance to win HP technology and support best suited to the school’s needs. Entries are open now.

HP New Zealand has partnered with Rural Women New Zealand, offering rural primary and secondary schools the chance to win HP products, including Sprout, a fully integrated 3D scanner, 3D object capture and editing desktop. The winning schools will also receive support from HP NZ experts to help them get the most out of their technology.

HP category manager, Victoria Mahan, says she is looking forward to seeing the students’ and schools’ vision of how they think they will learn in the future and what they will be able to do with technology.

“We’ve opened up the competition to include secondary schools for the first time this year, so we’re really excited to see the visions of education in the future from a range of ages and rural schools,” says Mahan.

“All children in New Zealand need to be equipped to live, play and work in an online world. It’s not just about being engaged at school, but also preparing for the workforce of tomorrow. This competition is one way that HP can contribute.”

Fiona Gower, vice-president, Rural Women New Zealand, says this is such a great competition and we’ve seen first-hand the benefits it’s delivered for previous winners.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity for rural schools to have the chance to tap into the expertise of a global technology company like HP,” she says.

Shaun Tepania, principal of last year’s top prize winner, Whananaki School, says winning the HP Rural Schools competition has changed the level of engagement in the classroom.

"This prize allowed us to provide devices that helped to support and engage the students’ learning, as well as giving our teachers opportunities to provide e-learning through their class programs,” says Tepania.

“This is an amazing opportunity for our school and the community. We would like to thank HP and Rural Women New Zealand for creating a competition that gives rural schools that extra support.”

Top prizes include the HP Sprout and schools can select items from the HP product range that best suit their school’s needs. This could include notebooks, desktops and printers, as well as support to set up the devices for the schools.

From September 14, 2016, rural primary and secondary schools throughout New Zealand, with less than 450 students, will be eligible to enter the HP New Zealand Rural Schools competition. To enter, schools simply need to submit an entry form at www.hp.co.nz/ruralcompetition. Entry criteria can also be found on the HP New Zealand website. Photos and videos to support entry forms are welcomed. Entries close at 6pm, October 31, 2016.

Five Primary schools will be awarded the technology grants as follows:

· 1st place: $8,000 worth of HP product including Sprout and training support

· 2nd place: $3,000 worth of HP product and training support

· 3rd place: $2,000 worth of HP product and training support

· 4th & 5th place: $1,250 worth of HP product and training support.

Two Secondary schools will be awarded the technology grants as follows:

· 1st place: $8,000 worth of HP product including Sprout and training support

· 2nd place: $3,000 worth of HP product and training support

The winners will be announced by 21 November 2016 and these schools will work with HP to determine the technology that will best suit their school’s needs.

Visit www.hp.co.nz/ruralcompetition for full details and terms and conditions, including entry criteria, and to download and submit entry forms.