About Us

Expertise

Harris Home Fires have spent generations keeping fires at the heart of Kiwi homes. Now we're sharing that expertise directly: helping you choose the best fire and fuel for your location and your environment.

We not only import selected, leading international fires - chosen for their suitability to New Zealand needs, we also design and manufacture fires right here, ensuring that for every heating need, there's a high quality solution that combines efficiency, environmental responsibility, and aesthetic appeal.

So you'll be able to relax and enjoy the comforting glow of knowing you made a wise choice. W H Harris Ltd, trading as Harris Home Fires is New Zealand owned and operated and is based in Christchurch.

William Henry Harris

Image Above:
Original owner of Harris Home Fires, William Henry Harris c.1890

History

The business was established in 1887 and has remained a family business ever since. It is currently run by the 4th and 5th generations of the Harris family.

The original owner, William Henry Harris, established the partnership Harris and Wood Plumbers, Gasfitters and Tinsmiths in 1887; the partner was bought out in 1890.

William Henry Harris passed the business on to his sons, Roland and Norman Harris, who in turn passed it on to Roland's son Graham Harris, who in turn passed the business on to his sons and current owners, Evan and Peter Harris. Evan and Peter each have a son and a daughter, most of whom are now involved in the business.

Since 1887 the business has changed dramatically. Back then, among the products manufactured at W H Harris Ltd were tin baths, milking buckets, milk churns, foot warmers and cake tins. Today the company uses state of the art computer operated machinery to manufacture sheet metal components for companies throughout New Zealand.

The majority of the business these days is in the manufacturing of the Woodsman range of wood, multi-fuel, oil and gas fires. While the original business was involved in home heating back in 1887, W H Harris Ltd have been manufacturing fires since the mid 1960s, both for themselves and other companies.

As well as producing our own line of fires, Harris Home Fires is the exclusive national importer and distributor of a range of oil and gas fires from Canada, France and Belgium.

Our range of over 40 wood, multi-fuel, oil, gas and pellet fires includes insert, zero clearance and freestanding models in both traditional and contemporary styles, offering a heating solution to suit any home.

The aim of the company is to unite the newest combustion technology with modern design. Our fires offer high efficiency while meeting today's strict emission standards.

With over 40 years of solid fuel fire manufacturing to our name, HFT leads the way in home heating.

Image Far Left:
The staff of Harris Fires standing in front of the business in c.1880
Image Left:
The original shop c.1880