Jordan Statham, director of The Conduction Company and a registered electrician and electrical inspector, compares the heat pump brands his team fits in Auckland homes. Every verdict below comes from those installs and the warranty claims behind them, not from a showroom.
There is no single best heat pump brand in NZ. The Conduction Company's first pick for owner-occupied homes is Fujitsu, with Daikin and Panasonic mid-range and Haier for rentals. It is tied to no one brand, so it matches the machine to the house and the budget.
What is the best heat pump brand in NZ?
The best brand is the one that suits the property, says The Conduction Company. It fits most of the major brands and is tied to none of them. "We're not beholden to any one particular brand," says Jordan Statham. "It's just whatever best suits the particular installation."
This is how The Conduction Company matches a brand to a home:
Owner-occupied homes: Fujitsu. The Conduction Company's first pick. Quiet, efficient, and rarely a problem after it goes in.
Mid-range: Panasonic and Daikin. Both are excellent, well-trusted machines, and The Conduction Company rates Daikin as strong value for the quality.
Rentals and investment properties: Haier and Toshiba. Cost effective, and The Conduction Company has had no warranty claims on either that Jordan can recall.
Looks come first: Mitsubishi Electric. Good-looking machines at a premium price. The Conduction Company fits them on request.
Ducted systems: Daikin. The brand The Conduction Company trusts most for ducted, as its guide to ducted heat pump installation in Auckland explains.
A home that already has heat pumps: match what is there. The Conduction Company will usually fit the same brand again, so the remotes and the units match.
Whether a heat pump suits your house at all comes before the brand. The Conduction Company answers that in whether heat pumps are worth it in NZ.
What are the top five heat pump brands?
The five brands The Conduction Company recommends most today are Fujitsu, Daikin, Panasonic, Haier, and Gree. It also fits Toshiba and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, though fewer of them lately, and Mitsubishi Electric when a client asks for it. It does not fit Samsung or LG.
Fujitsu heat pump review: the first pick for owner-occupied homes
Fujitsu has been The Conduction Company's first pick for owner-occupied homes for the last two years. Its job records show 28 completed Fujitsu installs from January 2025 to October 2026, and none in 2023 or 2024.
Jordan rates them as well designed, with the installer in mind, which cuts down warranty claims and call-backs. They are known for running quietly, which matters most in a bedroom. They are efficient, and in his experience Fujitsu's WiFi app is one of the easiest to use, so you can control the heat pump from anywhere.
The aftercare is the other half of it. "They hardly ever fail, and when there is any oddness, Fujitsu are really quick to come to the party," says Jordan Statham. Of all the brands The Conduction Company fits, he rates Fujitsu's warranty support the best.
If you see the name GENERAL on a Fujitsu quote, it is the same company. Fujitsu's New Zealand arm now trades as GENERAL New Zealand, formerly Fujitsu General.
Are Daikin or Mitsubishi heat pumps better?
Of the two, The Conduction Company prefers Daikin. Jordan rates Daikin as excellent value: really high-quality machines for the price you pay, from cost-effective basic models through to designer ones.
Mitsubishi Electric makes excellent machines too, in The Conduction Company's view, but you pay a significant premium for them. "They are really good machines, but the amount you pay for them doesn't make sense in terms of the actual value that you get from them," says Jordan Statham. If looks matter most to you, he says Mitsubishi Electric is the way to go, because some people really like the style.
"Mitsubishi" can also mean two different makers, which is the next question.
Mitsubishi Electric vs Mitsubishi Heavy Industries: what is the difference?
They are two separate companies that make different machines, says The Conduction Company, so check which one a quote means. Both sell heat pumps in New Zealand under the Mitsubishi name.
Mitsubishi Electric. The Conduction Company has fitted Mitsubishi Electric units and still will when a client asks for one. That is rare. It usually means a home that already has Mitsubishi Electric machines and needs one more.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The Conduction Company has moved away from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries over the last couple of years, and fits few of them now.
Panasonic heat pump review: the mid-range pick
Panasonic is The Conduction Company's mid-range option: excellent, well-trusted machines from a good brand in the industry. The Conduction Company now fits more Panasonic than Gree.
The reason is price. The Conduction Company belongs to the Mastercraft group, a national group of electricians and other trades, which now has a national supply contract with Panasonic. Jordan Statham says the contract "really brings the cost of Panasonic units down for us and we can pass those savings on to our clients".
Haier heat pump review: the rental pick
Haier is The Conduction Company's go-to for a cost-effective heat pump in an investment property. It does the job a rental needs, and Jordan rates Haier's warranty support as decent.
Jordan cannot recall a single warranty claim on a Haier or Toshiba unit The Conduction Company has installed.
Toshiba heat pumps in rentals
Toshiba does the same job in rentals, and The Conduction Company still fits it, though fewer lately. Toshiba's New Zealand distributor, AHI Carrier NZ, gives a 10-year warranty on home units it supplied from 1 June 2025. That is five years parts and labour, then five years parts only, under its warranty terms. Check the terms on your own unit when you buy.
Gree heat pump review
Gree makes excellent machines, in The Conduction Company's experience. It was the team's main brand in its early years, until Fujitsu overtook it. Jordan Statham has Gree systems in his own home and in his own investment properties.
So why fewer Gree now? Most people have not heard of the brand. "We find that a lot of people want to go with one of the sort of known names, which is fine," says Jordan Statham. The Conduction Company still backs Gree, and rates its warranty support as not too bad.
Gree's app once had trouble running several systems on one app. Those bugs have since been ironed out, says Jordan, and it is straightforward now.
One Gree condition to know before you buy. Gree's New Zealand warranty card says the warranty is void if "regular maintenance is not carried out at intervals not exceeding 12 months by a qualified Refrigeration and Air Conditioning tradesperson". The Conduction Company's guide to heat pump servicing in Auckland covers what that service involves.
Which brand of heat pump is the most reliable?
In The Conduction Company's experience, Fujitsu: Jordan says they hardly ever fail, and Fujitsu sorts out the rare problem quickly. The Conduction Company has no independent failure rate across brands that it can quote, so it judges on its own installs.
On those installs, Jordan cannot recall a warranty claim on a Haier or Toshiba unit. For parts and warranty support in Auckland, he rates Fujitsu as excellent, Haier as decent, and Gree as not too bad.
The install matters as much as the badge. A poor installation shortens any machine's life, as The Conduction Company's heat pump installation cost guide explains.
What is the quietest heat pump in NZ?
Fujitsu and Mitsubishi Electric, from what The Conduction Company hears on site. Both are known for low noise. Quiet matters most in a bedroom, where you are trying to sleep and there is very little background noise to cover the unit.
Noise changes from model to model, even inside one brand. So compare the maker's noise figure for the exact model you are quoted, not the brand.
Which heat pump brand is the most energy efficient?
No one brand, says The Conduction Company. Efficiency changes from model to model inside the same brand. "Fujitsu's got three or four different standard high wall models in a series, and even between those ones the efficiencies jump around," says Jordan Statham.
Higher-cost brands typically run more efficiently, in his experience, but look at the exact model you are offered. Its Energy Rating Label is the quick check: EECA says the stars "show you at a glance how energy efficient an appliance is".
Which heat pump brand is best near the coast?
Near the coast, the coating on the outdoor unit and how you look after it matter more than the badge, says The Conduction Company. Jordan Statham rates Fujitsu as excellent near the sea.
A blue fin coating on the outdoor coil, which slows corrosion, is now standard on many brands. GENERAL, formerly Fujitsu General, says it has coated all its outdoor coils, and Panasonic, Mitsubishi Electric, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries say the same of theirs. Haier and Gree say it for some ranges. The Daikin and Toshiba New Zealand pages The Conduction Company checked do not say either way.
A coating does not make a heat pump salt-proof. The New Zealand warranty cards The Conduction Company has read exclude corrosion from sea air or corrosive air, or make protecting the unit the owner's job. GENERAL recommends washing the outdoor unit every three months near the coast "to prevent salt build-up".
Should a new heat pump match the brand you already have?
Usually, yes, says The Conduction Company. If your home already has Panasonic units, adding a Fujitsu means two brands of remote and two styles of unit on your walls. The Conduction Company is not tied to one brand, so it can match whatever is already there. Everyone in the house already knows how to use the remote.
What AC brands should you stay away from?
The Conduction Company does not tell clients to avoid a brand. It only says which ones it fits. It does not fit Samsung or LG heat pumps, and for the most part it does not fit Midea.
Samsung and LG heat pumps are less common in New Zealand, and the major wholesalers The Conduction Company buys through do not really sell them. "If we were to purchase them, that would be at a much higher cost, which represents a lower value to the client for a system which is less proven than other major brands," says Jordan Statham.
In short
No heat pump brand is best for every home. The Conduction Company fits Fujitsu first in owner-occupied homes, Panasonic and Daikin as mid-range options, and Haier in rentals, and it matches the brand already in a house. Those picks come from The Conduction Company's own Auckland installs and the warranty claims behind them. Whatever the brand, compare the exact model, because noise and efficiency change from model to model.
If you are choosing a brand, The Conduction Company is happy to help with heat pump installation in Auckland.
Frequently asked questions
Which brand of heat pump has the best reviews?
The Conduction Company goes by its own installs rather than online reviews. On those, Fujitsu comes out best: Jordan Statham says they hardly ever fail, and Fujitsu sorts out the rare problem quickly.
Mitsubishi vs Fujitsu heat pump: which is better?
For most owner-occupied homes, Fujitsu, says The Conduction Company. Both are quiet. Mitsubishi Electric makes excellent, good-looking machines, but in Jordan Statham's view you pay a significant premium for them.
What is the best ducted heat pump in NZ?
For ducted, Daikin is the brand The Conduction Company trusts most. The bigger choice is the layout: one system with zone control, or separate systems for the living areas and the bedrooms.
Are there common Fujitsu heat pump problems?
Not in The Conduction Company's experience. Jordan Statham says Fujitsu units hardly ever fail, and when something odd does come up, Fujitsu is quick to help.
