74 | CONTRACTING Jason Brown Plumbing & Gas T T Sue Russell Winners training the next generation Kirstie and Jason Brown - the company won the 20225 Master Plumber of the Year award at this year’s Master Plumbers Conference. Jason and Kirstie Brown have worked diligently to grow their plumbing, gas-fitting and drainage company, Jason Brown Plumbing & Gas Ltd, which they run from their Petone base, with the bulk of their work being in the residential space, balanced with light commercial projects. At the recent Master Plumbers Conference in Brisbane this year Jason Brown Plumbing & Gas won the 2025 Master Plumber of the Year award, which has been an enormous highlight for the couple. They enjoy attending the Master Plumber conferences every year, as they offer opportunities to network, keep up to date on industry issues, and celebrate the achievements of Master Plumber members. Over the years, Jason and Kirstie have given back to the plumbing, drainage and gas industry by constantly training apprentices. Kirstie says equipping the next generation of tradespeople with all the skills and knowledge that go into being a great plumber, gas-fitter and drainage expert are important goals, and it is very rewarding seeing the new apprentices grow into great tradespeople. “We’ve worked really hard in the recruitment space, and we soon get a sense of someone knocking on our door regarding working in our company. We’re able to teach them all the necessary skills; however, it begins with being a good person, someone who wants to work, gets along in a team environment, and puts in the effort with all the training that is required. These are all attributes that matter to us,” says Jason. The pathway to become a qualified registered plumber, gasfitter and drainlayer takes up to five years. Adding to this is a further two years, under supervision before you are able to become a certified tradesperson and able to sign off on your own work. The industry is structured to uphold high standards, something both Jason and Kirstie agree is important. This year, the Government has announced that Certified Plumbers and Drainlayers will be able to sign off their own work, which negates the need for waiting on council inspections, and will speed up the process of working on larger projects. This year’s award pinpointed three areas of excellence: making an outstanding contribution to the plumbing industry, excellence in business practice, and commitment to community service. However, the early years were challenging for the couple, starting out as they did on the eve of the GFC, and with their first child on the way. “Looking back, I would say we had rose-coloured glasses on, in terms of how we thought it would be,” says Kirstie. “Jason was just working on his own for those first few years, and we got ourselves into a position where we could take on our first apprentice in 2014.” Today, Jason Brown Plumbing & Gas Ltd engages 13 staff, and recently took on a new apprentice. Expanding their drainage service offering was strategically a good move, extending from maintenance, to providing a full suite of drainage-related capabilities. “We’ll investigate and resolve any blockage issues, and then we camera to investigate what’s going on. For new builds as well as renovations and commercial projects, we can handle all drainage and drain-laying needs,” says Jason. Jason and Kirstie also have a good understanding as to how business grows. They know it’s important to look after every customer with care and expertise, regardless of the scope of work required. “We don’t turn away a lot of work, and we find customers over the years have returned to us repeatedly because they know the quality of work we deliver. That’s a nice feeling,” says Kirstie. They are also big on training, and are continuing to develop their in-house training programmes supported by a dedicated training area in their workshop. Kirstie is also involved in the Master Plumbers Hutt Valley/Waiararapa branch at an executive level. She enjoys the interaction and being involved in organising events for those in the industry to participate in. Jason and Kirstie say they are also thrilled to have been recognised for their excellence in business practice, driven by the desire to be extremely well prepared for jobs the team engages in. “It’s things like making sure the team are respectful of the houses/businesses they work in, notes of what’s been done on a job are well written, and that there are photos taken of the job and uploaded in our system for QA purposes,” says Jason. “Instilling in the team that we expect you to be extra vigilant and that there’s consistency across all our staff in terms of how they work.” Enviroflo™ GR HydraHeat® Split HydraHeat Integrated Congratulations to Jason Brown, Kristie Brown, Josh Harris, Shevon Taylor, Malamalaine Kasiano, Terry Loftus-Isted, Rory Linstrom, James Parkyn, James Gillatt, SamWaru, PatrickWard and Damon Smith. Winning the 2025 New Zealand Master Plumber of the Year Award is a fitting team recognition of your exceptional customer service, quality workmanship and professional excellence. TeamworkMakes The DreamWork! From one team to another, Rinnai New Zealand congratulates the team at Jason Brown Plumbing & Gas for being named the 2025 Master Plumber of the Year, recognising their outstanding contribution to the plumbing industry, excellence in business practice, and commitment to community service. To check out the range of Rinnai Hot Water Heat Pumps visit rinnai.co.nz/water-heating/hot-water-heat-pumps Rinnai NewZealand are proud partners of Jason, Kristie & the teamat Jason Brown Plumbing &Gas.
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