We have been in Dunedin since 1934 when Albert Foley started his Plumbing business. Albert’s son Brian took over the business in the 1960’s & soon developed a reputation for investing in his employees, by providing them with training & superior working conditions, a company ethos that is true to this day with Foleys recognised as a national industry leader in training.

In the late 1980s, when the company had grown to a staff of 24, Brian took on two more directors, Chris Sutherland & his son Craig Foley. Then in 1997 the employment of an in-house accountant, Sarah Alcock (later to become a director in 2005), saw improved financial systems & reporting. In November 2005 we took the innovative step of setting up Foleys Electrical, giving the capacity to provide our customers with an electrical service when required on a plumbing job (we also provide electrical services in Christchurch & South Otago).

Brian semi-retired in 2011 & continues to work part-time in Dunedin. Grant Cochrane (Brian's nephew) joined as Managing Director from 2011 until 2014.  During this period Foleys expanded significantly opening our Mechanical division, South Otago, Christchurch & Oamaru branches.  The Queenstown branch was opened in 2015 complementing the existing branches in Central Otago & Wanaka.  The Ranfurly & Twizel branches were acquired in 2017 & our first foray into the North Island came in April 2019 with Vince Basile Plumbing in Palmerston North.  Our 11th Branch Wilson & Robinson in Timaru was purchased in April 2020, & Putaruru our twelfth branch joined the family in March 2021. In July 2021 we purchased Lewis Plumbing Co in Rotorua. This is our latest branch. Bruce Muldrew joined the company in 2014 through to January 2023 as General Manager.  We appointed our first CEO, Craig Stewart in January 2023. 

We have grown to over 250 staff, including 55 apprentices across our 13 locations with a focus on sustainable growth & health & safety. Our board of directors consists of three directors & three independent directors. Years of experience, breadth & depth of skills & company loyalty, are the solid foundations that have made our workforce the envy of its competition. Over ten percent of our people have been with the company for more than 10 years, giving our customers a sense of trust and security through familiar faces.