🤝 Five Years of RAD: The Power of Partnership

Every RAD laptop has a story.

There’s the rangatahi who learned how to refurbish it, the family who now uses it at home, and the donor who passed it on rather than letting it gather dust. But behind each laptop, there’s also a network of partners who make the kaupapa possible: the logistics experts who keep devices safe, the corporates who change their business-as-usual to support digital equity, the funders who believe in the mission, and the sustainability leaders who close the loop responsibly.

As RAD turns five, we’re reflecting not just on the milestones, but on the partnerships that powered them. RAD has always been more than a programme — it’s a movement. And movements are built by people who bring their strengths together for something bigger than themselves.

🚚 Entelar – Growing and Learning Together

When Entelar joined RAD in 2020, the kaupapa was still young. With Spark’s proof-of-concept support opening doors, RAD needed a logistics partner who could help us scale from a grassroots idea into a national system.

Entelar team members working on wiping laptops donated to RAD

Entelar, as a Spark subsidiary, became that partner. They receive, store, and data-wipe donated devices, ensuring they’re ready to be refurbished and safely delivered to schools and clubs. But their role has been more than operational, they’ve walked alongside RAD as the programme has grown, refining and evolving processes in real time.

In the early days, that meant working out how to safely package and send laptops in a cost-effective way, then handling mixed spec laptops from different sources and later, it meant creating secure and consistent systems to track laptops at scale. Each step of the way, Entelar has adapted with us.

Ching from Entelar reflects on why the kaupapa struck such a chord:

“It quickly became clear that RAD were creating more than just a programme. RAD were building a movement.”

“We see RAD as a programme that not only fosters personal development, but a sense of connection and belonging by empowering individuals with skills, confidence and networking.”

With Entelar’s support, RAD could move from small-scale experiments to a trusted national programme. Their logistics ensure that laptops get from donor to learner securely, keeping the chain strong at every link.

🌱 Chorus – Embedding Sustainability Into Everyday Business

Chorus’s partnership with RAD began with a question: What happens to our laptops when staff are finished with them?

Kelsey and Chorus laptop legend - Heta.

Like most corporates, Chorus had end-of-life devices moving through staff in phases. Through DECA, they discovered RAD and realised there was an opportunity to make an impact through this process: donate them to be refurbished and placed directly into the hands of students.

What started as a simple conversation and single donation quickly turned into a deeper commitment. Chorus built RAD into their business-as-usual end-of-device life policy, ensuring that every device automatically comes to RAD at the end of its life. What could have been a one-off CSR gesture became an embedded practice that combines sustainability with social good.

Hannah from Chorus explains:

“We built it into process - the boring part with the documentation - but that’s what made it stick. Since then, it’s been a really natural partnership for us.”

“What we love about RAD is, not only are they thinking about closing the digital divide and getting devices to students in need, they’re thinking about the environmental impacts we all have on this planet.”

Chorus shows what’s possible when businesses align their systems with their values. By embedding RAD into their operations, they’ve created lasting change: reducing e-waste, extending the life of technology, and ensuring devices go to those who need them most.

🌟 Spark Foundation – Backing Equity Where It’s Needed Most

If Entelar and Chorus ensure devices flow in the door, Spark Foundation ensures RAD can reach the places where those devices matter most.

Since 2020, Spark Foundation has provided philanthropic support to RAD, making sure laptops don’t just go to “easy wins” but to the communities often left out of digital inclusion.

The pandemic revealed the scale of the problem: when schools closed, thousands of tamariki had no device at home. Remote learning was impossible. RAD, with Spark Foundation’s backing, was able to step into that gap in a greater way.

For Spark Foundation, RAD perfectly aligns with their mission of accelerating digital equity.

Marty from Spark Foundation reflects:

“Key moments for us were the forced shift to remote learning for our tamariki, and that highlighting that many were learning without the necessary digital tools.”

“Our mission at Spark Foundation is to help all of New Zealand win big in the digital world. But Aotearoa can’t win big if a huge part of our society can’t even participate.”

What Spark Foundation values most is that RAD is not just about access, it’s also about skills.

“One of the elements I really love about RAD is the number of rangatahi that have been through this programme, upskilled in STEM as part of the refurbishment. It’s a really cool ecosystem that not only caters towards access, but also helps close the skills divide.”

Thanks to Spark Foundation, RAD has been able to grow sustainably, focusing not only on scaling numbers but also on deepening impact.

🔄 Echo – Closing the Loop on E-Waste

Robert from Echo shows Bronwyn and Kelsey the separation of materials as part of the e-waste process

Every laptop has a life cycle. RAD extends that life, but eventually, devices reach their true end. That’s where Echo comes in.

As RAD’s e-waste partner, Echo ensures that every unusable component is disposed of ethically, transparently, and sustainably - and they provide these high-quality services to RAD for free.

Echo works with many of New Zealand’s largest clients, holding EPA permits to export and process materials properly. Their commitment means RAD can guarantee that every device is managed responsibly, from donation to end of life.

Robert from Echo explains:

“E-waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams globally, and in Aotearoa. RAD extends the life of technology and lowers carbon impact. It’s not just the environment, it’s about equity and access to digital tools.”

For Echo, sustainability is about both people and planet:

“Sustainability means caring for both the planet and the people. RAD shows what’s possible when communities, schools and businesses work together.”

By closing the loop, Echo ensures that RAD’s impact is circular: fewer devices wasted, more devices refurbished, and everything else processed responsibly.

🌐 An Ecosystem of Impact

Looking at these four partners side by side shows what makes RAD unique: it’s not a single organisation solving a single problem, but an ecosystem working together.

• Entelar makes the logistics safe and seamless.

• Chorus ensures corporates embed sustainability into everyday practice.

• Spark Foundation provides the backing to reach those furthest from access.

• Echo closes the loop on waste, ensuring nothing is lost.

Together, they form the backbone of RAD’s impact along with many other RAD kaupapa cheerleaders.

As RAD turns 5, we know the movement is only as strong as its partnerships. Each one has brought their expertise, their resources, and their belief to the kaupapa. Together, they’ve enabled rangatahi to gain skills, families to access opportunities, and communities to thrive.

Partnerships are the engine of RAD’s impact - and they’re what will power the next 5 years.