Apple will allow independent repairers in New Zealand to sign up for a programme that'll give them official training, tools and parts from the company to use in their services.
This should give customers in Aotearoa more options when they need to get their iPhone or MacBook repaired, potentially at a lower cost and from an outlet closer to them than is currently available.
New Zealand is one of 38 countries included in an expansion of Apple's Independent Repair Provider (IRP) programme happening this week.
There is currently no Apple Store in Aotearoa, meaning Kiwi customers have to ship their devices away to Apple to have them repaired if they're under warranty, or use one of the country's limited number of Apple Authorised Service Providers (AASPs).
The IRP programme means many more businesses up and down the country can offer Apple repairs with genuine parts and certified training if they want to. Generally, this will mean the repair work is guaranteed by the repair business, not by Apple itself.
IRPs will be able to offer repairs using non-Apple parts, tools and repair techniques, as well as official Apple ones - whereas AASPs can only use genuine Apple parts, tools and repair techniques.
Repair businesses keen to become IRPs can do so at no cost to them, aside from the time it takes to complete the training.
"All participating repair providers in the programme have access to free training from Apple and the same genuine parts, tools, repair manuals, and diagnostics as AASPs and Apple Store locations," Apple says on its website.
The programme was launched in 2019 in the US and expanded to Canada and parts of Europe last year, with more than 1500 IRPs currently operating.
By the end of this year, Apple intends for the programme to be available in more than 200 countries - nearly every country where the company's products are sold.
