GENERAL New Zealand names 2026 partner award winners

GENERAL New Zealand has announced the winners of its 2026 Partner Awards, recognising dealers and partners across the country.

Absolute Air Conditioning & Refrigeration took the top national award and was also named North Island Dealer of the Year. Ace Heat Pumps was named South Island Dealer of the Year and also won the Outstanding Sales Award for South Island Metro/Major Centre.

The awards are the first since the business began operating under the GENERAL New Zealand name. The company rebranded at the start of the year after Fujitsu General Limited was integrated into Paloma Rheem Holdings and the wider business moved to the GENERAL brand.

The annual awards cover sales performance, customer experience and the development of the dealer network across the North and South Islands. The programme is intended to recognise businesses across the company's national partner base.

Other winners included Ignite Heat Pumps, which received the Outstanding Sales Award for North Island Metro/Major Centre. Taranaki Refrigeration won the equivalent North Island Regional award, while Duncan Air Conditioning took the South Island Regional category.

The awards also extended beyond New Zealand, with Australia's Ambience Air Airconditioning named Oceania GENERAL Partner of the Year.

Awards focus

The recognition comes as GENERAL New Zealand seeks to maintain continuity with its dealer network following the rebrand. The name change signals a new phase for the business while preserving its established local relationships.

Dave Smith, Director of Sales & Marketing, GENERAL Australia and New Zealand, outlined that position in comments accompanying the awards.

"GENERAL New Zealand's partners have always been central to our success in the region, and that remains as important as ever as the business moves into its next chapter. The transition to GENERAL New Zealand represents an evolution of the business; however, the strong relationships, local support, and shared commitment to customers that have been built over many years remain unchanged.

"We're proud to recognise partners that consistently deliver strong service, technical expertise, and quality experiences for customers across New Zealand.

"These awards are also an opportunity to thank our broader partner network for its ongoing commitment. Our partners understand their local communities and play an important role in bringing reliable, energy-efficient heat pump and air conditioning solutions to homes and businesses across the country. We look forward to continuing to support these relationships and working alongside our partners as we build on the strengths of our business and pursue new opportunities together."

Full winners

In the Outstanding Sales Awards, Ignite Heat Pumps won North Island Metro/Major Centre, Taranaki Refrigeration won North Island Regional, Ace Heat Pumps won South Island Metro/Major Centre and Duncan Air Conditioning won South Island Regional.

In the Dealer of the Year categories, Absolute Air Conditioning & Refrigeration won North Island and national honours, while Ace Heat Pumps won the South Island award.

The results underline the importance of independent dealers and specialist installers in the distribution of residential and commercial heat pump and air conditioning systems in New Zealand. For manufacturers and distributors in the sector, partner networks remain a key route to market, with customers relying on local providers for sales, installation and after-sales support.

The awards were designed to highlight contributions not only to sales, but also to customer experience and the strength of the wider network.