Both brands build good heat pumps, and plenty of New Zealand installers fit either one. The honest difference is how much you can check before you hand over the money.
Mitsubishi Electric publishes its New Zealand warranty, its cold-climate claims and its quietest model. Panasonic’s New Zealand site wouldn’t load when we checked in October 2026, so the Panasonic side rests on the energy rating register, its app listing and our installer count. Where there’s a gap, ask the installer straight out.
Mitsubishi Electric vs Panasonic heat pumps side by side
| Mitsubishi Electric | Panasonic | |
|---|---|---|
| Who distributes it in NZ | Black Diamond Technologies, locally owned, the only NZ distributor | Not confirmed; ask your installer who supplies it |
| NZ warranty | 5 years parts and labour on split and multi-room systems | Ask for the warranty card before you sign |
| Installers who fit it | 317 of 1,020 NZ installer websites | 184 of 1,020 NZ installer websites |
| Cold-climate model | HyperCore | No named range found |
| Phone app | Mitsubishi Wi-Fi Control | Comfort Cloud |
| Quietest published indoor level | 18 dBA (AP Series, 2.5 kW, lowest fan, heat mode) | Not checked |
| How you buy it | Through installers; a postcode search finds a local specialist and a free in-home consultation | Through installers who fit the brand |
The installer counts come from 1,020 New Zealand installer websites read in October 2026. You can find every Mitsubishi Electric installer and every Panasonic installer.
Which heats better on a frosty morning?
The energy label gives you two heating figures, one at 7°C outside and one at 2°C. In most of the country winter drops below 7°C often enough that the 2°C figure is the one worth watching, and it shouldn’t sit far below the 7°C number. The same figures sit on the public energy rating register, which lets you line up the 2.5 kW wall units, the size most bedrooms get.
- Panasonic 2.5 kW wall units for New Zealand list between 2.85 and 3.3 kW of heating at 2°C. The highest of them is in the HZ family.
- Mitsubishi Electric’s AP25 lists 3.9 kW at 2°C. The LN25 lists 4.1 kW, and the LN25 with a HyperCore outdoor unit lists 4.8 kW.
Cold zone heating stars, which is the rating all of New Zealand gets, put Panasonic’s 2.5 kW wall units at 2 to 3 stars and the Mitsubishi Electric AP25 at 3.
HyperCore is where that top figure comes from. It holds full heating capacity down to -15°C and keeps heating at -25°C, and you can have it on the LN Black Diamond wall unit from 2.5 to 5 kW or on the KW RapidHeat floor console. Panasonic has no named equivalent we could find. One size class isn’t the whole range either, so if you’re quoting for a bigger room, check the 2°C figures on the exact models again. In Gore, Twizel or up on the Central Plateau, that check matters more than anything else on the quote.
→ Related: Best heat pumps for cold NZ climates
Which has the clearer warranty?
Mitsubishi Electric’s terms are out in the open. Five years parts and labour on split and multi-room systems, one year on controllers and accessories, counted from the date the original owner bought the unit. Repairs go through an authorised repair company in business hours, and travel beyond a 100 km round trip isn’t covered. Rust from sea air or geothermal air isn’t treated as a fault unless the parts had the distributor’s own Nyalic corrosion protection applied.
For Panasonic, ask for the warranty card before you sign anything, then check:
- how many years it runs, and whether labour is covered for as long as parts
- who carries out warranty repairs near you
- what the installer has to do for the cover to stand
- whether corrosion is covered if you’re on the coast or in Rotorua
Either way, your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act sit on top of any warranty.
Which app is better, Mitsubishi Wi-Fi Control or Comfort Cloud?
Both will warm the house before you get home, and both let you change modes, fan speed and airflow direction from the couch.
Comfort Cloud is the one that tells you what’s going on. It shows indoor and outdoor temperature graphs and energy use on supported models, and it sends a phone alert with the error code when the unit faults. Its weekly timer takes up to six changes a day, and you can switch groups of units on or off together.
Mitsubishi Wi-Fi Control is the one that does things for you. Temperature rules switch the unit on when a room drops below a minimum you set, it works with Alexa and Google Home, one app covers units at more than one address, and there’s a dry mode. Our smart heat pump guide covers what app control is actually worth.
Which is easier to get serviced locally?
Both brands are well covered. Mitsubishi Electric appears on 317 of those installer sites and Panasonic on 184, which puts Panasonic fourth of all brands. In most towns you’ll find a few firms that know either one.
With Mitsubishi Electric, warranty repairs go to an authorised repair company, found by postcode on the brand’s service centre search, and a home system should be serviced at least once a year. With Panasonic, ask the installer before you buy whether they service what they sell, and who would look after the unit if they closed their doors. Our servicing guide runs through the routine for both.
→ Related: Who can install a heat pump in NZ
Which has the right model for your home?
Both brands cover wall, floor, ducted and multi-room layouts. On the register, Panasonic wall units run from 2.05 to 9.5 kW of cooling, alongside cassettes, floor or ceiling units and ducted units from about 2.5 kW. Its multi-room outdoor units run from 5.2 to 10 kW. Mitsubishi Electric’s OmniCore systems take two to eight rooms on one outdoor unit, mixing high walls, floor consoles, ducted units and cassettes.
Read the model code before you compare anything else. Mitsubishi Electric indoor wall units start with MSZ, Panasonic indoor units start with CS, and in both the number after the letters is the cooling size: 25 means 2.5 kW. Watch for cooling-only models, which carry no heating rating at all. On the register those are Mitsubishi Electric codes starting MSY and Panasonic codes starting CS-U.
→ Related: What size heat pump do I need?
When is Mitsubishi Electric the better buy?
- you want the warranty terms in writing before you get a quote
- frost is your main worry and you want a 2.5 kW unit with a high 2°C figure
- you want temperature rules or voice control from the app
- you’d like the biggest pool of installers to choose from
When is Panasonic the better buy?
- a local installer you trust fits it and will service it
- you want error-code alerts and energy graphs on your phone
- you already own a Panasonic air-to-water heat pump or ventilation fan and want one app
- the exact model on your quote stacks up on the energy label
Find more in our Mitsubishi Electric guide and Panasonic guide, or see all the main brands compared in best heat pump brands in NZ.