Stratford installer Colin Hemsley wins NZHHA Installer of the Year award

Hemsley Home and Heat owner Colin Hemsley won the New Zealand Home Heating Association (NZHHA) Installer of the Year award. Photo / Alyssa Smith

A Stratford home heating expert has won a top award.

Hemsley Home And Heat owner Colin Hemsley was named the New Zealand Home Heating Association (NZHHA) Installer of the Year award, making him the top installer of all registered NZHHA installers in the country.

The awards were given out at the NZHHA annual conference in September and Hemsley said when he heard the news he had won the award, he was surprised.

“I didn’t end up attending the conference, but I found out I won the award through one of my suppliers. They had emailed me that evening of the conference and congratulated me. I’m very pleased to get this award as it’s a testament to what we do and it’s nice to get recognition for our work.”

While it’s his name on the award, Hemsley credits receiving it to his wife, Cathy, and other staff members.

“We put in a lot of hard work and do the best for our customers. I must attribute some of it to the people we work with, who put in a top effort from start to finish. My wife Cathy runs the office and the showroom and keeps it well organised for us. It’s all part of the work because if you’re not organised things can go wrong,”

Hemsley, who started the business in 2017, said the award also gives customers confidence.

“It shows that we’re good at what we do and that we do our best to ensure we have happy customers.”

The award is now proudly on display in Hemsley Home and Heat Ltd’s new showroom and shop on Broadway in Stratford.

He said he had lots of help getting the shop, which opened at the start of October, ready.

“My kids have supported me the whole way through and initially helped me redecorate the Ngaere shop and then helped here in Stratford as well.”

Before moving to Stratford, the business had its showroom and shop in Ngaere.

“I started in 2017 and by 2018 things were getting pretty busy. In 2020 I thought I needed a shop so I started to work on that. We ended up opening up after the first Covid-19 lockdown and operated from that space until just recently.”

He looks forward to chatting to more people and helping them with their home heating needs.

“It’s pretty awesome to now be in the middle of town. We see a lot of people, which is great.”