Almost four decades later: McLellan’s plumbing begins new chapter

For 37 years, Rory McLellan has been a fixture of the Central Otago community and trade scene, building not just a business but a deep-rooted place in the community, and while his plumbing business is entering a new chapter as part of the Aotea Group, Mr McLellan says the heart of what they do isn’t changing one bit. The change comes after over four decades in business for Mr McLellan and his family, and 37 years running McLellan’s Plumbing and Heating in Alexandra, which he and wife Karen first began in 1989. Aotea Plumbing & Drainage is a national plumbing and drainage group, and from August 1, McLellan’s Plumbing will become part of the wider Aotea Group, with Aotea Plumbing & Drainage becoming the primary operating brand for Central Otago business. Mr McLellan, who will remain a shareholder in the business and continue as a branch manager for Central Otago, said the timing was right to step back from a major hands-on role in the company. “I never thought of it being that big,” he said, reflecting on how far the company had grown since those early days. Growing up in Invercargill, Mr McLellan left high school at 16 to complete his plumbing apprenticeship. Mrs McLellan grew up in Alexandra, and after their OE together at 20, the pair settled back in Alexandra, starting a business and family in the same year. Now with three children and six grandchildren, the family is heavily involved in the local community. “When Karen and I established McLellan’s Plumbing in 1989, we could never have imagined the journey ahead. What began as a small, family-run plumbing business has grown into a trusted Central Otago company providing plumbing, heating, gasfitting and drainage services across the region.” Since then McLellan’s has become deeply embedded in local life, completing more than 100,000 jobs, plumbing over 1,000 homes and installing more than 2,000 fires and heating systems across the region. Mr McLellan said it was hard to pinpoint standout projects among the decades of work, but a few projects were particularly memorable. Among them, keeping facilities at Dunstan Hospital, local rest homes and council properties running smoothly, and playing a major role in the recent restoration of Earnscleugh Castle, extracting heat out of water. The company also helped lead a major air quality project with Otago Regional Council between 2008 and 2015 that saw around 800 non-compliant fires replaced across the district to safer, more economical ones. The team continues to grow across bases in Alexandra, Roxburgh and Omakau, with plans to keep extending. “The success of McLellan’s has never been about numbers alone. It has been built on relationships — with our customers, staff, suppliers and the wider Central Otago community.” Community has always been central to how Mr McLellan sees the business. His involvement in the community expands well beyond plumbing. He’s chairman of the Riverside Park Trust and sits on the board of the Rock Gas franchise. In 2011, the business won Franchise of the Year, receiving $5,000 which went toward design concepts for Riverside Park, part of a broader push to boost tourism in Central Otago and Alexandra. The team also took on the building opposite McLellan’s premises, which now operates successfully as The Finery, a restaurant, cafe and bar. “I just wanted to boost the appeal and character of the town,” he said, passionate about bringing more people to Alexandra. The decision to bring McLellan’s into the Aotea Group was about ensuring long-term stability, Mr McLellan said. “As many business owners will understand, there eventually comes a time when you must consider what the future looks like. “I know that one day I’ll be moving out of the business, and I just wanted a strong governance around it.” For McLellan’s customers, “very little” would change. “You will continue dealing with the same local people, receiving the same dependable service and benefiting from the same commitment to quality workmanship. “Existing projects will continue as planned, with current quotations [remaining] in place, and all work already booked will proceed as scheduled. The most noticeable change will be the Aotea branding appearing on our invoices, vehicles and correspondence.” The McLellan’s retail showroom would also continue under the McLellan’s name. Aotea’s approach as tradesmen, rather than corporate, was part of what drew him to the partnership, Mr McLellan said. “Aotea just have a really similar vision to us as well. They understand the industry and the staff employed,” he said, adding that all existing staff would be retained under the new arrangement. Aotea Group founder Murray Hughes said the new chapter “was a very important acquisition for the group and for expanding [its] plumbing division in Central Otago”. It was very important to maintain McLellan’s local identity and the relationships the business had built in the community over the years, Mr Hughes said. The acquisition comes as Aotea celebrates 50 years in business. The timing was especially fitting, as the group welcomed the next half-century of expansion across New Zealand, Mr Hughes said. For Mr McLellan’s, maintaining its trusted local identity is paramount. The couple’s three children have all followed in their parent’s steps. Daughter Ashley and her husband, Peter, work within McLellan’s showroom, while daughter Alyse manages The Finery next door. Their son, Matt, is a plumber himself, currently based in Queensland. Over the course of the business’ history, McLellan’s has trained around 50 apprentices, with seven onsite at present, supported by regular learning evenings for apprentices and tradespeople. Beyond family and travel, Mr McLellan isn’t stepping back from local life — he remains heavily involved through various board and community roles, and said he was looking forward to spending more time enjoying and promoting his home. “I truly believe this area is the best area in the world, and the people here are the best people in the world,” Mr McLellan said. As McLellan’s Plumbing begins its next chapter under the Aotea Group, Mr McLellan said the goal remained the same as it had always been: looking after the people and community that built the business in the first place. “This is not the end of the McLellan’s story,” he said. “It is the beginning of its next chapter — one that protects our local legacy, creates opportunities for our team and strengthens the services we can offer our customers.”

Almost four decades later: McLellan’s plumbing begins new chapter

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