On Tuesday evening a strange message was posted on the official Twitter stream for Telecom New Zealand. The “tweet” which was in response to a customers enquiry about the upcoming iPhone launch read: “We are in negotiations with Apple… we are very focused on the 3rd gen iPhone.. we will keep u updated.”

The message initially created some doubt but a report in New Zealand’s National Business Review added further credence with a quote from Telecom NZ’s chief of retail Alan Gourdie saying that the carrier was in “discussions – deep discussions – with Apple”.

Vodafone currently sells the iPhone in New Zealand but this news suggests Apple is looking to expand beyond a single carrier in the country.