Hitachi heat pumps carry a Japanese name, but the business behind them has changed. Hitachi Cooling & Heating products are now made and sold by Bosch Home Comfort Group, which holds a licence to use the Hitachi trademark. In New Zealand the exclusive distributor is Temperzone, the air conditioning maker with branches in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch. Temperzone handles the warranty, the spare parts and the technical support. That matters more than it sounds: there’s a local company with a warehouse and a phone number standing behind the unit on your wall.
Which Hitachi heat pumps are sold in New Zealand?
For single rooms there are two wall unit ranges.
airHome 400 is the straightforward model, built for people who don’t want to think about their heat pump. Wi-fi control needs an add-on adapter.
airHome 600 adds built-in wi-fi, a mode that eases the temperature back after 20 minutes with nobody in the room, a sleep sensor that stops the bedroom getting too cold overnight, and Mould Guard, which dries the inside of the unit after you switch off to stop musty smells. On the bigger sizes, air reaches up to 24 metres across a room.
For several rooms, airHome Multi-Pro runs up to five indoor units off one outdoor unit. You can mix wall units (airHome 400, 600 or 800), an airHome Floor console, ceiling cassettes and slim ducted units. The floor console comes in 2.5, 3.5 and 5.0 kW sizes with wi-fi built in, and the cassettes and slim ducted units come with a condensate pump.
For whole houses, airCore 700 is Hitachi’s main ducted range, in mid-static models for standard homes and high-static models for large ones. A zoning kit splits it into up to eight zones, each with its own temperature. Larger homes can also look at the Set Free Mini VRF system, which takes up to 18 indoor units. Our guides on ducted vs high-wall and single-room vs multi-room help you weigh those up.
Will a Hitachi cope with frost and cold winters?
There’s no separate cold-climate wall unit in the range, so the operating temperatures are the thing to check. The multi-split systems run in outside temperatures down to minus 15°C. The airCore 700 ducted range goes further, down to minus 20°C, which suits a ducted system in Queenstown, Methven or the Central Plateau. Output still drops as the temperature falls, so the unit has to be sized for your coldest weeks, not your average ones. Our guide on what size heat pump you need explains how that’s worked out.
The airHome outdoor units also have a SafeGuard system: a three-minute delay that stops the compressor restarting over and over after a power cut, a valve cover that channels water away, anti-rust paint on the heat fins, and a metal fireproof box around the electronics.
→ Related: Heat pumps built for cold NZ climates
What is Hitachi FrostWash?
FrostWash is a self-cleaning cycle for the indoor coil. It freezes the coil so dust and dirt get trapped in the frost, then melts it so the dirt and mould wash away down the drain.
The numbers are decent. In factory testing over a simulated two years of household dust and oil, a unit without FrostWash lost 18% of its airflow and one with it lost 6%.
It’s on the airHome wall units and every airCore 700 ducted unit, and can run automatically or when you start it. It doesn’t replace cleaning the filters. That’s still your job.
How long is the Hitachi warranty in New Zealand?
Six years parts and labour covers the airHome 400 and 600 wall units, airCore 700 ducted, cassette and ceiling units, and the multi-split systems. Mini VRF systems get three years, accessories one year, and spare parts one year on parts only.
Two conditions matter most:
- It must be installed by a trained professional. A DIY install isn’t covered.
- It must be serviced regularly by a qualified person. If regular servicing hasn’t been done, the warranty doesn’t apply. Keep the invoices.
The warranty also doesn’t cover damage from filter neglect or a corrosive atmosphere, normal weathering of the casing and coils, the pipework, drain or wiring run by a third party, units moved to a new address, or units in caravans and boats. Near the sea, or close to Rotorua’s geothermal air, ask your installer how to protect the outdoor unit.
To claim, contact the business that sold and installed your heat pump. They assess it and claim directly from Temperzone. If they can’t be reached, Temperzone Customer Care on 0800 899 277 (weekdays 8am to 4:30pm) will tell you who to call. Have the model and serial number, the purchase date and your invoice number ready.
→ Related: Who can legally install a heat pump in NZ
How to read a Hitachi model number
Hitachi wall units start with RAK. The two letters after the dash show the range: DJ is airHome 400 (RAK-DJ25PHAT) and VJ is airHome 600 (RAK-VJ25PHAT). The number rises with the size, from 25 at the small end to 70 at the top. Check the energy label for the exact kW before you compare it with another brand’s quote. Multi-split systems are the RAM series.
How do you control a Hitachi from your phone?
The app is airCloud Go. It turns the unit on and off, sets schedules and timers, works with Alexa and Google Home, and on many models estimates what the heat pump has cost to run. Smart-Fence uses your phone’s location to switch the heat pump off when you leave and warm the house as you head home.
Not every Hitachi connects. Some have wi-fi built in, like the airHome 600 and the airHome Floor. Others, like the airHome 400, the cassettes and the slim ducted units, need the airCloud Go adapter, a small plug-in box about 8 cm long that takes its power from the unit. Some models can’t connect at all. If the app shows your unit offline, unplug the heat pump for a minute and plug it back in, two or three times if needed, then re-add it in the app. More in our guide to smart heat pumps.
Where to get a Hitachi heat pump serviced or repaired
Because the warranty depends on regular servicing, book it in and keep the paperwork. Your installer is the first call for a service or a fault. Temperzone keeps spare parts and a dedicated service team, with overnight delivery of parts to the main centres. Our servicing guide covers what you can do yourself between visits.
Of the 1,020 installer websites checked in October 2026, 66 mention Hitachi.
Find a Hitachi installer near you
See the installers who fit or service Hitachi, compare it with other makes in our heat pump brands guide, or find heat pump servicing and repairs in your town.