Our History
It all started in the early 1900s with a company called George Densem’s Plumbing and Metal Works. Bill Gutteridge purchased the business in 1913 and founded the Tauranga Hardware and Plumbing Company.
Bill Gutteridge sold the business to Jim Sutton in 1916 and when Jim Sutton retired in 1946 the firm was run by Bert Johnson and Tom McCord as a partnership. Bert was already working for the firm and Tom had worked for the firm until joining the Air Force in the Second World War.
“Although chalk and cheese, they completely trusted each other and there was never a cross word between them”
In the 1920’s Tauranga Plumbing was the main plumbing contractor in the region so being able to diversify into other areas around the construction industry over recent years has come naturally.
When Bert Johnson retired Brian McCord, Tom’s son, became a partner and today Tauranga Plumbing is owned by Brian’s son Craig McCord. And now two of Tom’s great grandsons also work for the firm, Ben McCord and Dylan Little.
Four generations of the McCord family have worked for “The Firm”, a business founded on reliability and a reputation for high standards.
Today
Today Tauranga Plumbing remains one of the leading companies in the Bay Of Plenty region, providing top quality plumbing, gas and drainage services.
Managing Director Craig and General Manager Andrew(Mac) McCarthy, work with a team of 20 qualified tradesmen. Training courses are regularly held to ensure our tradesmen are kept up to date with the latest skills and technology. We place great value in our employee’s friendly efficiency and trustworthiness.
We have a good pool of apprentices coming through the ranks and this four year qualification ensures we follow a set of guidelines and regulations that produces top quality trades people.
“We are very proud of our long history, but we are also strongly focused on the future, and we continue to provide excellent service and expertise on which we have built our name. We might be based on good old-fashioned values and integrity, but we use the latest technology and our highly trained team can handle everything from small domestic jobs to huge commerical projects” Craig McCord, Managing Director – Tauranga Plumbing.
Giving Back
It’s because of our community that Tauranga Plumbing was successful in the past and remains successful today. It’s important to us to continue to look after, and give back to our community.
As well as giving back locally - contributing in initiatives such as the Habitat for Humanity programme, that gives eligible families a helping hand with building a new home when they need one, we’ve also worked on assisting projects around health and sanitation in the Pacific Islands.
“It’s not until you visit other countries that suffer from a lack of good sanitation and clean water that you realise the massive impact good sanitation has on communities and people’s health” Craig McCord, Managing Director – Tauranga Plumbing
As a 100% Tauranga owned and operated company we support local sports clubs, charities and schools, including:
- Bay of Plenty Rugby
- Waipua Hospice
- Aquinas College
- Maungatapu Primary
- Bellevue Primary
- Otumoetai College
- Bethlehem College Hockey
- Bay of Plenty Racing
- Tauranga Waterfront Sculpture Project
- Tauranga Rotary
- Tauranga Citizens Club Snooker
The McCord family first settled in Tauranga in 1938 and our rugby club involvement goes back many years. Brian McCord was a Bay Union Tauranga delegate and later president of the Wasps Club. Craig served on the Greerton Rugby Club Board and is at present on the Wasps Board. Craig McCord is also on the board of the Waipuna Hospice.
Also actively involved in community projects are Craig’s wife Roberta, sister Kerrie and Dad Brian who are all involved with the Hospice shop and can often be seen working in the shop on a Saturday.