Software erasure
Best for equipment you want to reuse
YouWipe overwrites the data so equipment can be reused or resold, and each erased device is documented. Erasure certificates are available for each device.
Ewaste recycling and IT asset disposal for Auckland businesses
EXTECH collects your retired IT equipment, records it, erases or shreds the data, and gives you the paperwork to prove it. Auckland site in Onehunga, collections across the region.
- NATO-certified erasure software (YouWipe)
- Hard drives shredded to 20mm fragments
- Time-stamped photo manifest at pickup
- Serialised certificates of destruction
What EXTECH does in Auckland
We collect retired IT equipment from Auckland organisations, log every asset, then erase the data for reuse or shred the media. You get records showing exactly where your equipment and data went.
One provider covers the whole job, from a single laptop refresh to a full server room clear-out. See our IT asset disposal, electronics recycling and IT infrastructure decommissioning services for the full scope.
- Based in
- Onehunga, Auckland
- Works with
- Businesses, government and institutions.
- Collection
- From your site, recorded on a manifest with time-stamped photos.
- Data destruction
- YouWipe software erasure, or industrial shredding to 20mm fragments.
- Records
- Asset audit, erasure certificates, and serialised certificates of destruction.
- Beyond Auckland
- Wellington (Hutt Valley) site and nationwide logistics.
Retiring a device does not retire your privacy obligations
Laptops, servers, phones and copiers keep personal information long after they stop being useful. Under the Privacy Act 2020, in force since 1 December 2020, the organisation that holds that information stays responsible for protecting it, including when the hardware leaves the building.
Auckland has about a third of New Zealand’s population and produces roughly 38% of national GDP (Auckland Economic Monitor), so a large share of the country’s corporate hardware refreshes happen here. Events like Windows 10 reaching end of support on 14 October 2025 push whole fleets into retirement at once. We cover that in The Windows 10 ghost fleet, and in why secure e-waste disposal is now a critical cybersecurity requirement.
- Principle 5: storage and security
- Reasonable security safeguards against loss, misuse and unauthorised access to personal information.
- Principle 9: retention
- Do not keep personal information for longer than you need it.
- Notifiable privacy breach
- If a breach causes, or is likely to cause, serious harm, notify the Privacy Commissioner and the people affected as soon as practicable.
- Penalty for not notifying
- Failing to notify the Commissioner of a notifiable breach is an offence, with a fine of up to $10,000.
- Health information
- Health agencies also work under the Health Information Privacy Code 2020.
General information only, not legal advice. Last reviewed October 2026. Source: Community Law and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner. Check current requirements with your legal adviser.
Where we collect across Auckland
EXTECH collects from business, government and institutional sites across the Auckland region, from CBD towers to East Tāmaki warehouses. Choose a zone to see the suburbs it covers.
North Shore, Albany and the Hibiscus Coast
Albany, Rosedale, Takapuna, Wairau Valley, Glenfield, Birkenhead, Browns Bay, Orewa, Silverdale
CBD and central Auckland
CBD, Wynyard Quarter, Newmarket, Parnell, Mt Eden, Greenlane, Ellerslie, Penrose, Mt Wellington
West Auckland
Henderson, Westgate, Massey, Avondale, New Lynn, Glen Eden, Te Atatu, Kumeu
East Auckland
East Tamaki, Highbrook, Pakuranga, Botany, Howick, Panmure, Otara
South Auckland and Manukau
Manukau, Wiri, Manurewa, Papatoetoe, Mangere, Otahuhu, Favona, Auckland Airport area
Papakura and Franklin
Papakura, Takanini, Drury, Pukekohe, Waiuku
In a CBD tower or other multi-tenant building? Tell us about lift bookings, loading docks and building rules when you book. Outlying area or not listed? Ask us and we will arrange logistics.
Where data hides in Auckland organisations
Retired equipment is rarely just the laptops on the asset register. These are the places data risk shows up most often, by sector.
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Legal and professional services
Client files and privileged material sit on laptops, file servers and scanners. Retention rules often decide when equipment can be retired.
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Finance and insurance
Customer financial records live on laptops, branch devices and back-office servers, and auditors expect evidence of how they were destroyed.
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Health and community services
Patient and client information sits on shared workstations, clinical PCs and imaging equipment. Health agencies also work under the Health Information Privacy Code 2020.
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Education
Staff and student records are spread across staff laptops, lab PCs, storage rooms and old servers that no one wants to switch off.
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Government and councils
Public records and citizen data are common, and procurement teams often ask for documented chain of custody for disposal.
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Retail, logistics and manufacturing
Point-of-sale terminals, handhelds, networking gear and warehouse PCs all carry configuration data and sometimes customer details.
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IT providers and managed service providers
Client fleets are refreshed in batches. Each client’s equipment needs its own records so you can prove what belonged to whom.
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Any office with copiers
Multifunction printers and copiers can contain hard drives that keep copies of scanned and printed documents. They are easy to forget.
How an Auckland collection works
Every job follows the same six steps, built around records you can keep and show to an auditor.
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Book
Request a quote or book a collection online, or call 0800 4 EXTECH. Send an asset list, or rough quantities if you do not have one yet.
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Collect and record
We collect from your site. A manifest with time-stamped photos records what left your premises.
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Transport securely
Equipment travels under tracked logistics, with custody recorded from your door to our facility.
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Audit
Assets are audited and logged on arrival, which gives you a clear record of what we received.
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Erase or shred
Working equipment is erased with YouWipe software so it can be reused. Media that has failed, or must be destroyed, is shredded to 20mm fragments.
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Document and recover
You receive your records, and certificates of destruction are available. Reusable equipment is assessed for resale, and the rest is dismantled and recycled responsibly.
Erasure or shredding: how we destroy your data
Deleting files does not remove data. We use two methods and match each one to the risk. Our data destruction and data security pages go deeper.
Physical shredding
Best for failed or high-risk media
Industrial cross-cut shredding reduces hard drives, SSDs and smartphones to 20mm fragments. It suits media that has failed, cannot be reliably erased, or must be physically destroyed. Serialised certificates of destruction are available.
Erasure methods supported by YouWipe:
NIST SP 800-88
DoD 5220.22-M
NATO Assured
EXTECH is a YouWipe partner. The NATO and Common Criteria EAL+3 certifications apply to the YouWipe software, and you can check it in NATO’s product catalogue.
Auckland IT decommissioning checklist
A practical list for the person organising the clear-out. Work through it before you book and again before pickup day.
Want us to look at your plan? Send us the details.
Before you book
- Build an asset list with type, make and model, serial number and location. Matching serials to your asset register makes the certificates useful later.
- Decide what is for reuse or resale and what must be destroyed. When in doubt, treat it as destroy.
- Confirm backups and migrations are complete and tested before anything is retired.
- Check for legal holds and retention requirements. Do not dispose of anything that is under hold.
- Hunt for hidden storage: copiers and multifunction printers, NAS boxes, old servers, phone systems, CCTV recorders, access control and point-of-sale gear.
Before collection day
- Remove devices from management: MDM, directory, licensing, and release activation locks and cloud accounts so equipment is not left locked.
- Keep the storage room locked and note who has access until the pickup.
- Tell building management: lift bookings, loading dock or loading zone, parking, access hours and any insurance or induction requirements. This matters most in CBD and multi-tenant buildings.
- Stage equipment near the lift or dock if you can, and flag anything that needs special handling such as batteries, UPS units or racked servers.
On the day
- Check the manifest against your asset list before the vehicle leaves, and make sure the time-stamped photos have been taken.
- Keep a copy of the signed manifest with your project records.
After collection
- File the certificates with your asset register and update your fixed asset and insurance records.
- Keep disposal records for as long as your audit and retention obligations require.
Auckland ewaste and IT disposal: your questions
Straight answers on collection, data destruction and the Privacy Act. Not covered here? Ask us.
Do you collect e-waste from businesses across Auckland?
Yes. EXTECH has an Auckland site in Onehunga and collects from business, government and institutional sites across the Auckland region. Outside Auckland and Wellington, we arrange logistics when you submit a collection request. Book online or call 0800 4 EXTECH with your suburb, rough quantities and access details.
How do I know my data has really been destroyed?
You receive records rather than a promise. Collections are recorded with a manifest and time-stamped photos, assets are audited and logged, erasure certificates are available for each erased device, and serialised certificates of destruction are available for shredded media. Erasure uses YouWipe, software that holds NATO and Common Criteria EAL+3 certification, which you can check in NATO’s product catalogue.
Is erasing a drive enough, or should it be shredded?
It depends on the risk. Software erasure suits working equipment you want to reuse or resell, because the device stays usable. Industrial shredding suits media that has failed, cannot be reliably erased, or must be physically destroyed. EXTECH shreds hard drives, SSDs and smartphones to 20mm fragments.
What does the Privacy Act 2020 expect when we retire devices?
Information privacy principle 5 requires reasonable security safeguards against loss, misuse and unauthorised access to personal information, and principle 9 says not to keep personal information longer than necessary. Retired devices still hold personal information until it is properly erased or destroyed. If a privacy breach causes or is likely to cause serious harm, you must notify the Privacy Commissioner and affected people. This is general information, not legal advice.
What happens to equipment that still works?
Working equipment is erased with YouWipe and assessed for resale, because reuse comes before recycling. Anything that cannot be reused is dismantled and recycled responsibly. Ask us whether reuse is realistic for your fleet.
What should I prepare before a collection?
An asset list if you have one, or rough quantities by type. Where the equipment is stored, which floor, and how vehicles get access (lifts, loading dock, parking). Any building rules such as lift bookings or site induction. And anything needing special handling, such as batteries, UPS units or racked servers.
How much does it cost?
It depends on what you are sending, how much, where it is, and whether any of it has reuse value. Send an asset list or rough quantities through the enquiry form and we will come back with a quote.
Do you operate outside Auckland?
Yes. EXTECH also has a site in the Hutt Valley, Wellington, and arranges collection across New Zealand.
Book an Auckland collection
Send an asset list or rough quantities and tell us your suburb. We will come back with a quote and a collection plan.