The short answer
Aquipe is a New Zealand training company for automotive and heavy-vehicle technicians. It runs practical one-day courses in air conditioning, EV and high-voltage safety, scan tool diagnostics, scope diagnostics and Jaltest. Courses run at city venues in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, or on site at your own workshop, on your own equipment and vehicles.
Vehicles have changed faster than training
On a typical day in a New Zealand workshop, a hybrid or EV is on the hoist next to a diesel ute. Driver-assist cameras and radar are behind the windscreen and bumpers. A/C systems run newer refrigerants that need different handling. Diagnostic equipment can do more than ever, but only if the technician knows how to get the most out of it.
Training hasn't always kept up. Plenty of technicians still pick up new systems on the job, from a forum thread or by watching over a colleague's shoulder. That's slow, it's risky, and it costs workshops time and money. Aquipe was set up to give technicians practical skills they can use the next day, on real equipment and real vehicles.
Why training pays off for a workshop
You keep the work. Customers bring in more hybrids, EVs and vehicles with driver-assist systems every year. If your team can't service them confidently, that work goes elsewhere, and so do those customers.
You meet your safety duty. High-voltage systems are dangerous. Under New Zealand health and safety law, a business must make sure its people can work safely, and structured training is one of the clearest ways to show you've taken that seriously.
You keep good people. Good technicians want to keep learning. Investing in their skills helps you hold on to them.
The courses
Air Conditioning Fundamentals. R134a and R1234yf systems, refrigerant recovery, leak detection and the rules that apply in NZ workshops. Technicians learn to diagnose and service a system properly, not just top it up. Air Conditioning Fundamentals course details
EV and High-Voltage Safety. Recognising high-voltage systems, following safe isolation procedures, choosing and checking the right PPE, and working confidently around electrified vehicles. For owners, it's a practical way to meet your safety duties and protect your team. EV and HV safety training details
Scan Tool Diagnostics. Going past reading fault codes to using live data, guided tests and system functions to find faults faster and fix them the first time. Scan Tool Diagnostics course details
Scope Diagnostics. Setting up an oscilloscope, reading waveforms, and using them to find sensor, actuator and network faults a code reader can't see. Scope Diagnostics course details
Jaltest Diagnostics. Running Jaltest on trucks, buses and light commercials. Jaltest diagnostics training details
The scheduled courses run from February to November 2027. Each is a full practical day with a small group, and everyone who attends gets a certificate of completion.
Training at your workshop
Not every team can down tools and travel to a city course, so a lot of Aquipe's training happens on site. Hamish comes to your workshop and trains your technicians on your own equipment and vehicles, so there's nothing to translate when they get back to work.
Sessions can be built around the work you do: commercial-vehicle diagnostics for a fleet workshop, say, or a half-day EV safety refresher for a busy independent garage. Half-day and full-day sessions are available. There's no travel or accommodation to pay for, your team is back on the tools straight away, and everyone learns the same methods at the same time. More about on-site training
Your trainer
Hamish is based in Auckland and travels the country delivering A/C, EV and high-voltage safety, and diagnostics training to workshops of every size, from independent garages to large fleet operations. He has more than 35 years in the industry, specialising in diagnostics.
He doesn't just teach the equipment, he works with it. He has set up, calibrated and supported diagnostic and workshop equipment in businesses across New Zealand, so he knows where technicians get stuck and what matters on a busy workshop floor. His courses spend less time on slides and more time hands-on: he explains why each step matters, then gets everyone doing it so it sticks.
"The best training is the kind you use on Monday morning," Hamish says. "If a tech walks out of a course and confidently handles the next hybrid or A/C job that comes through the door, we've done our job."
FAQs
Where do Aquipe courses run?
Scheduled courses run in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Aquipe also runs training on site at your workshop, anywhere in New Zealand.
How long are the courses?
Scheduled courses are a full practical day. On-site sessions can be a half day or a full day.
Do technicians get a certificate?
Yes. Everyone who attends a scheduled course gets a certificate of completion.
Can training be tailored to my workshop?
Yes. On-site sessions can be built around the work your workshop does and run on your own equipment and vehicles.
2027 dates are open
The 2027 course calendar is on the Courses page. Register your interest to be first to hear when more dates are released, or email training@aquipe.nz to talk about training at your workshop.
