The laptop had only been bought 10 days ago, she said.
"It's just heartbreaking that we have invested $1500 in a brand-new laptop for the new registrar position and someone has gone and done this."
The laptop was discovered in the creek near the North Rd hospice several hours after the security alarm was triggered by someone breaking in at 1.40am yesterday.
A security guard arrived in time to see a male acting suspiciously around the building.
He gave chase, but the alleged offender, described as as a 152cm tall Maori or Polynesian wearing a light-blue hoodie, got away, discarding the laptop as he went.
The theft was even more disappointing for a charity such as the hospice, which had to raise $1.5 million each year and so did not buy capital equipment lightly.
The fact there were also vulnerable people in the building at the time of the break-in "just makes you feel sick", she said.
Police asked anyone with information to contact their nearest station.
