About ERA New Zealand
The Electronic Recycling Association is a not-for-profit dedicated to extending the life of electronics through responsible collection, refurbishment and donation. Founded in Calgary in 2004, the ERA network has served communities across Canada, the United States, Chile, Madagascar, Bosnia and beyond for over 20 years — and in 2026 Aotearoa New Zealand became its newest country, with an Auckland facility and pickups in Wellington and Christchurch.
Our story
In 1996, Bojan Paduh emigrated from Croatia to Canada with his family. They couldn’t bring much with them. A church group gave him a donated computer — and that one machine changed the direction of his life, eventually leading him into computer science.
Years later, Bojan watched perfectly working computers being dumped at a landfill. He started collecting and fixing them himself, and in 2004 he founded the Electronic Recycling Association in Calgary — because he knew firsthand what a donated computer means to a family that can’t afford one.
The network has been growing ever since — including a 2018 expansion into the United States as the Electronic Reusing Association (ERA USA) and a 2026 arrival in Australia, with a Sydney facility and pickups in Melbourne and Brisbane — and in 2026 its newest chapter opened here in Aotearoa New Zealand: an Auckland facility for secure processing and refurbishment, with pickup coverage in Wellington and Christchurch.
Bojan remains ERA’s Founder and President.
“At ERA, we believe technology should be accessible to everyone.”— Bojan Paduh, Founder & President, May 2026
Milestones
From one founder in Calgary to refurbishment hubs, donation programmes and community partners across five continents.
Bojan Paduh founds the Electronic Recycling Association in Calgary, Alberta.
The network expands to Vancouver.
ERA receives an Alberta Emerald Award and opens a Toronto depot.
Shell Canada donates $1 million worth of technology through ERA, benefiting First Nations communities.
The network announces its US expansion under the name Electronic Reusing Association (ERA USA).
First US donations in Seattle, including 20 laptops to Southwest Youth & Family Services.
The COVID-era “Lending a Lifeline by Lending Laptops” programme launches, and ERA’s annual scholarship competition begins.
The network collaborates with Quebec’s Minister of Cybersecurity and Digital Affairs, Gilles Bélanger.
ERA USA operates warehouses in Fort Lauderdale & West Palm Beach, with a presence in Chicago and Houston.
Australia becomes a network country: a Sydney facility opens, with pickup coverage in Melbourne and Brisbane.
Aotearoa New Zealand becomes the network’s newest country: an Auckland facility opens, with pickup coverage in Wellington and Christchurch.
The network in numbers
Kaitiakitanga · Guardianship
Our mission
We refurbish working electronics and place them with students, schools and not-for-profits who need them. Devices that can’t be reused are recycled to certified downstream partners — never sent overseas as waste, never to a landfill.
Our vision
We see a future where every business has a secure, transparent way to retire IT assets — and where every retired device becomes an opportunity for someone else to learn, work or connect.
What we do
Every device we collect is logged, securely wiped or physically destroyed to NIST standards, and routed for the highest reuse value possible. Working hardware is refurbished and donated. Broken hardware is recycled responsibly through audited downstream partners.
Businesses receive certificates of data destruction, serialised asset reports, and a real-world impact statement showing where their retired equipment ended up.
Where we operate
ERA is an international refurbishment and donation network. The network runs pickups, refurbishment hubs and community programmes out of the cities below, and ships refurbished devices to verified education partners around the world.
Careers
E-waste is one of the fastest-growing waste streams — and managing it responsibly creates green jobs. As we grow across Aotearoa New Zealand, we’re looking for people who want their work to keep electronics in use and out of landfill.
Take action
Whichever door you pick, a device ends up somewhere it can do more good.
