Aotea Group
Aotea Group is a New Zealand nationwide network of 30 locally owned trade service businesses delivering electrical, security, communications, fire, HVAC, plumbing, and solar services across 29+ locations and 1,600+ staff to commercial, industrial, residential, rural, and government clients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1970
- HeadquartersAuckland, New Zealand
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Aotea Group does
Aotea Group is a New Zealand nationwide network of 30 locally owned trade service businesses operating across 29+ locations and employing more than 1,600 industry experts under the parent entity AGHL Limited (founded 1970). The group delivers electrical, security, communications, fire alarm, heating and cooling, plumbing, and solar services to commercial, industrial, residential, rural, and public-sector clients, with notable project credentials including New Zealand's first IKEA store, the Forsyth Barr Stadium LED upgrade, University of Otago's first live-building CommScope GPON Passive Optical LAN, and the Highlands Motorsport Park $30M facility.
The company monetizes through a mix of one-time project-based electrical contracting (competitive tendering and negotiated contracts for new builds, fit-outs, and upgrades) and recurring revenue from 24/7 maintenance and servicing agreements, supplemented by Aotea National Services which delivers bundled facility management (CCTV, HVAC, plumbing, refrigeration, BWOF compliance, access control, sustainability) across multi-site enterprise portfolios under a single contract. Distribution is entirely direct via regional offices and a national call centre (0800 268 353), with all work performed by employed staff rather than subcontractors. Revenue concentration spans four primary customer segments — Commercial & Industrial, Residential, Rural & Agricultural, and Government/Public Sector — with marquee logos including Briscoes Group (85 sites), IKEA NZ, Westpac NZ, Meridian Energy, Queenstown Airport, and the University of Auckland.
Technically, Aotea integrates leading vendor platforms including KNX DALI and Casambi lighting controls, Schneider Electric power monitoring, Gallagher access control (largest NZ channel partner), Axis CCTV (Gold partner), CommScope GPON, Philips ArenaVision sports lighting, and Tether workplace analytics. The group holds Master Electricians, ECANZ, EcoSmart Electricians, Green Star, SiteSafe, IMPAC PreQual, and ISNetWorld certifications, and is led by CEO James Ewart (appointed May 2023) succeeding Paul Parsons after 37 years with the business. The operating model emphasizes locally owned branches with staff share schemes, internal apprenticeship pipelines via ETCO, and a national brand that preserves regional identity.
Aotea Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Aotea Group
- Legal name
- AGHL Limited
- Website
- https://aoteagroup.nz
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1970
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Aotea Group is a New Zealand nationwide network of 30 locally owned trade service businesses delivering electrical, security, communications, fire, HVAC, plumbing, and solar services across 29+ locations and 1,600+ staff to commercial, industrial, residential, rural, and government clients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Aotea Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Auckland
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices11 records
Markets served
Aotea Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Electrical Contracting and Project Services: One-time project-based revenue from electrical installations across commercial, industrial, residential and rural projects. Revenue generated through competitive tendering and negotiated contracts for new builds, fit-outs, and upgrades.
- Ongoing Maintenance and Servicing: Recurring revenue from maintenance contracts providing 24/7, 365-day service to commercial and residential clients. Includes planned maintenance programmes, reactive callouts, and ongoing service agreements across client property portfolios.
- National Facilities Management: Single-entity national facilities management services covering multiple trade disciplines (HVAC, plumbing, CCTV, refrigeration, BWOF compliance) under one contract for multi-site clients.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Project-based pricing - quotes provided per job |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Aotea Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Aotea Group delivers trade services across electrical, security, communications, fire alarms, heating and cooling, plumbing, and solar through a nationwide network of 30 locally owned businesses operating in 29+ locations across every region of New Zealand. The group provides both one-time project-based installations and ongoing 24/7 maintenance contracts, with Aotea National Services enabling multi-site clients to access all regional businesses under a single contract. Services span commercial, residential, industrial, rural, and government sectors, delivered by over 1,600 employed trade experts.
Product overview
Aotea Group is a nationwide network of 30 locally-owned trade service companies operating across New Zealand, providing expert electrical, security, communications, fire alarms, heating and cooling, plumbing, and solar services. The company operates under a unified brand while maintaining local ownership, with over 1,600 employees across 29+ locations. The core offering is trade services delivered through regional businesses, supplemented by Aotea National Services which provides coordinated multi-site facility management including CCTV, HVAC, handyman services, catering equipment, plumbing, project management, sustainability solutions, access control, BWOF compliance, and refrigeration. The company also offers specialized divisions for automation and EV charging infrastructure. Services are delivered across commercial, residential, industrial and rural sectors with national coverage but local expertise.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Aotea Electric: Electrical services division covering commercial, residential, and industrial electrical work
- Aotea Security
- Aotea Communications
- Aotea National Services
- Buzz Electrics
Products and services
- Electrical Services
Quantifiable outcome
- 33% improvement in lighting levels and approximately $50,000 direct power saving per year for Briscoes & Rebel Sport
- +7 more outcomes
Companies that use Aotea Group
Customer profileNamed customers26 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Aotea Group technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration17 records
Feature5 records
Aotea Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- NuGreen Solutions NZcoreSustainability partner for LED retrofit and energy efficiency projects. Collaborated on Briscoes Group national lighting upgrade programme achieving 33% improvement in lighting levels and $50K annual power savings per store.
- TethercoreWorkplace optimisation technology partner providing real-time occupancy intelligence for the Westpac NZ workplace programme. Combined Aotea + Tether solution delivered visibility of meeting room utilisation, desk occupancy, and café flow patterns.
- PhilipsLED lighting and control systems partner across multiple projects including UCOL LED upgrades (Interact Pro), Forsyth Barr Stadium (Philips ArenaVision LED sports lights), and Westpac EV charging and LED programme.
- SignifycoreLong-standing design partner for lighting projects. Partnered with Aotea Electric Southern on the original Forsyth Barr Stadium electrical works (2008-2010) and the 2024 lighting upgrade with LED ArenaVision systems.
- GallaghercoreAotea Security is Gallagher's largest Channel Partner in New Zealand. Gallagher access control systems are a core technology used across security installations for major clients.
- CommScopecoreDelivered New Zealand's first live-building CommScope GPON Passive Optical LAN installation at University of Otago Science III building, transforming copper network to future-ready fibre infrastructure.
- Schneider ElectriccorePower monitoring and energy management systems used in Pak'nSave Rolleston project - Schneider systems integrated for energy and power monitoring across the facility.
- Highlands Motorsport ParkminorOngoing electrical services relationship for the $30 million motorsport facility. Aotea Electric Cromwell is their electrical service provider of choice.
- Meridian EnergycorePartnership to install public electric vehicle charging stations across New Zealand - one of the most significant initiatives to combat climate change through transportation electrification.
- DownerminorAotea Westland is the trade service provider of choice for Downer in the West Coast region, delivering electrical projects including Greymouth Court House.
- Westfleet SeafoodsminorAssociated electrical contractor since 2006. Sub-contractor for new factory build (with CYB Construction) in 2014 and chiller build in 2019. Ongoing electrical servicing provider.
- CYB Construction LimitedminorMain contractor for Westfleet Seafoods new factory build on which Aotea Westland was electrical sub-contractor.
- ETCO (Electrification Training Company)coreETCO apprentice placement partner for Aotea Electric Southern. Zac Fitzgerald-Geddes was an Etco apprentice who won the 2019 Master Electricians Apprentice Challenge and went on to represent New Zealand at WorldSkills.
- Stannah Stair LiftsminorAotea Electric is an agent for Stannah Stair Lifts, providing free design and advisory service for residential stair lift installations.
Scale indicators15 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Aotea Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Programmed (Persol): Australia/NZ facility maintenance and trade services provider with electrical, plumbing and HVAC capabilities; comparable multi-site enterprise customer engagement model.
- ISS A/S: Global facility services company operating in New Zealand across technical services, cleaning and security; comparable national-account single-contract value proposition.
- Fulton Hogan: NZ-headquartered infrastructure contractor with utilities, civil and electrical services capabilities; competes with Aotea on regional and national project tenders across transport and infrastructure verticals.
- Downer Group: ASX-listed infrastructure services group with substantial New Zealand operations delivering electrical, communications and facilities services to utilities, transport and government — directly overlaps with Aotea's customer mix and competes for similar large project work.
- Spotless Group: Australia/NZ facility services provider offering HVAC, electrical, plumbing and maintenance; comparable multi-trade national coverage and target enterprise customer base.
Others
- Schneider Electric: Global energy management and automation technology vendor that supplies power monitoring, lighting and energy systems integrated by Aotea; adjacent as a technology partner and channel ecosystem participant.
- CBRE Group: Global real estate and facilities services firm with NZ presence; relevant as a downstream customer or partner for facility management services rather than a direct trade competitor.
- Cushman & Wakefield: Global facilities and real estate services firm with NZ operations; comparable as a national-account channel for facility services procurement though not a direct trade competitor.
- Stantec: Global engineering and project services firm with significant NZ presence across infrastructure and buildings; adjacent rather than directly competing for electrical trade services.
Direct peers
- Electrix: NZ-based electrical contractor serving utilities, infrastructure and commercial clients; directly competes with Aotea Electric on large electrical tenders in NZ.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Aotea Group social profiles
Digital presenceAotea Group compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance8 records
Aotea Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Aotea Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Aotea Group subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries14 records
Aotea Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Aotea Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Aotea Group
What does Aotea Group do?
Aotea Group delivers trade services across electrical, security, communications, fire alarms, heating and cooling, plumbing, and solar through a nationwide network of 30 locally owned businesses operating in 29+ locations across every region of New Zealand. The group provides both one-time project-based installations and ongoing 24/7 maintenance contracts, with Aotea National Services enabling multi-site clients to access all regional businesses under a single contract. Services span commercial, residential, industrial, rural, and government sectors, delivered by over 1,600 employed trade experts.
Is Aotea Group a public or private company?
Aotea Group is a private company. It is currently operating.
When was Aotea Group founded?
Aotea Group was founded in 1970. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Aotea Group based?
Aotea Group is headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does Aotea Group make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Electrical Contracting and Project Services are the primary driver. The others are ongoing Maintenance and Servicing and national Facilities Management.
Who are Aotea Group's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Programmed (Persol), ISS A/S, Fulton Hogan, Downer Group and Spotless Group. Others are Schneider Electric, CBRE Group, Cushman & Wakefield and Stantec. Electrix is listed as a direct peer.
Does Aotea Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Aotea Group.