About Kiwitub
Built in New Zealand. Proven by thousands of owners.
Kiwitubs has become one of New Zealand's most recognised hot tub brands, with more than 2,000 tubs sold across the country and beyond.
Today, Kiwitubs is proudly owned by Allan Whitfield, Founder and Managing Director of Allan's Sheetmetal & Engineering. Since establishing the business in 2000, Allan has built a group of successful New Zealand manufacturing and engineering companies spanning roofing, fabrication, heating, greenhouse solutions and specialist engineering.
The connection between Allan and Kiwitubs goes back much further than ownership. For many years, the copper burner at the heart of every Kiwitub was manufactured by Valley Industries in Dunedin. More than a decade ago, Allan's Sheetmetal & Engineering acquired Valley Industries from Allan's brother, Barry Whitfield, and has continued manufacturing the burners ever since. Long before Kiwitubs became part of the Allan's group, the Whitfield family was already helping build one of its most important components.
Known for his practical approach, commitment to quality and hands-on involvement, Allan continues to lead a family-owned group that includes Allan's Long Run Roofing, Allan's Superheat, Christies Glasshouses & Garden Sheds, Eden Greenhouses, Chem-Dry and Kiwitub. Today, the family business continues to grow, with Allan's daughters and son all involved across the group.
That long-standing manufacturing connection, combined with decades of engineering and fabrication expertise, helps ensure Kiwitubs owners receive a product designed to last, backed by a New Zealand team committed to continuous improvement.
The Kiwitub Story
This begins in a beautiful part of New Zealand, Central Otago.
While building a family bach at Bannockburn, physiotherapist and inventor Steve August relied on an old cast-iron bath with a fire underneath it as the only way to get clean. Even after the bach was finished, soaking under the Central Otago stars with a glass of local wine remained a favourite ritual.
The only problem was size.
Steve wanted something larger than a bathtub but couldn't find a suitable tank or affordable alternative. Drawing inspiration from his father's old Thermette water heater, traditional wetback heating systems and a healthy dose of Kiwi ingenuity, he developed the first prototype of what would become Kiwitubs.
What started as a handcrafted macrocarpa tub connected to a custom-built copper heater quickly attracted attention. Friends wanted their own. Then friends of friends. Before long, a business was born.
Over the following years, the design evolved through multiple generations of prototypes, testing and refinement. The result was a simple, effective and uniquely New Zealand wood-fired hot tub designed around reliability, efficiency and ease of use.
Continuing the Tradition
Today, Kiwitubs continues to be built around the same principles that inspired the original design: simplicity, innovation and the enjoyment of spending time outdoors with family and friends.
With Allan Whitfield's engineering and manufacturing expertise behind the brand, Kiwitubs remains committed to producing quality New Zealand-made products that create memorable experiences for generations of owners.
Every Kiwitub still reflects the practical problem-solving and Number 8 wire thinking that inspired the original idea. The difference is that thousands of customers have now proven it works.
We invite you to join them and discover why so many New Zealanders choose to get into hot water the Kiwi way.
