Related Business Directory listing:
- 0800 500 484
- 525 Rosebank Rd
From their humble beginnings in a Titirangi garage, Apex Valves has grown to be one of New Zealand’s most high quality and highly regarded manufacturers of water control valves for homes and farms.
“Our quality is excellent, and that’s where we hang our hats,” says General Manager Mark Gracie. “Also, we have a presence here in New Zealand — with the other valve brands, there’s no one here to really support customers.”
Apex Valves manufactures and sells valves to big plumbing retailers, as well as to agricultural retailers on the farming side. What sets them apart, says Mark, is their built-to-last quality and their commitment to customer service.
“On the plumbing side, a big part of it is the local manufacturing and the local, after-sales service support,” says Mark. “If something goes wrong on a system and a customer needs help with the install, or setting the valve, or whatever they need to do, we have a whole team here that can help. Customers are welcome at our factory anytime, and we can set the valve up, show them how it works, and give them support.”
Apex Valves was founded in 1982 by Mark’s father, Alan Gracie, after he spotted a gap in a very particular market. New Zealand, at the time, was short on manufacturers of valves for home hot water cylinders. From there, Apex Valves expanded into agricultural valves, again thanks to a specific demand.
“There was an opportunity to partner with a company in New Zealand called Hydroflow,” explains Mark. “They were basically family friends who sold farming products, and they asked if Apex could make them a valve for troughs for cattle to drink out of. So we manufactured the first New Zealand-made brass trough valve. It’s still our number-one selling valve.”
Ten years ago, the business took another major leap forward when it was purchased by global water solutions company Watts. Watts is based out of Boston in the United States, and when their team first laid eyes on Apex’s products, the spark of interest was immediate.
“They came to New Zealand to visit a customer of theirs,” recounts Mark, “and saw our product on the shelf, and they asked, ‘Who makes this?’. What started off as discussions around partnership opportunities quickly turned into their wanting a footprint down in the Southern Hemisphere, and within about a year they had purchased Apex.”
Still, the identity of Apex Valves remains proudly Kiwi – and their quality standards remain high. “Watts backs us as a manufacturer,” Mark says. “They’re not trying to cut costs and just get the product out. They’re setting us up to be the best in class here in New Zealand for a long time.”
It was with Watts’ support that Apex Valves recently moved to a brand-new facility on Rosebank Road. Their previous factory – the big blue building on the corner of Rosebank and Copsey Place – was home for 28 years. With that space outgrown, the Apex team seized the opportunity to start fresh and create a state-of-the-art factory.
“We didn’t bring anything with us from the old place,” says Mark. “Everything is modern and well lit, and we’re on completely renewable energy sourcing – we only use hydropower. Assembly is our core job – people putting together valves every day – and we’ve got new electronic, ergonomic, height-adjustable benches so no one overextends and overreaches.”
When it comes to testing each and every valve, an essential step in the process, the new factory has been set up to be green and efficient.
“We use and circulate about 20 million litres of water a year,” explains Mark, “because every single valve gets tested before it goes out the door, and you’ve got to run water through it to test it. Previously, we would recirculate some of that, but it was really inefficient. Here in the new factory, we’re completely self-sufficient water wise. We capture all our water off the roof, and we circulate it through filters and a pump system. Now, we effectively won’t need to use any council water at all.”
When it comes to the Apex team, Mark says that their 53 employees feel like a big family. “We’ve got a real family orientation,” he says, noting that a few of his cousins and other family members work there as well. “We’ve absolutely got that, ‘Eat together, work together, and look after each other’ family ethos. Because it was a family business originally, I value that across our team. We’ve got people who have been here over 25 years; I remember them from when I was a young kid.”
Looking into the future, Mark says it’s been “a real honour” to help set up the business for the next 28 years.
“Our new building unbelievable,” he says. “We rethought how we did every single thing across the whole company, and the transformation is amazing. Even the lunchroom is big and modern. If people are happy here, it helps us capture people who want to work here.”
Now their focus is looking at how to make the most out of Apex Valves. “We want to be as efficient as we possibly can when we make valves for New Zealand,” Mark says. “That helps us accelerate new product development. We have a really amazing wet laboratory here, where we can test and design valves and get products to market way quicker.
“Ultimately, we also want to strengthen our connection with the plumbing industry through training, having guests through the factory, and showing off our people and what they make and the care that goes into what we sell. We want to show that we’re not just another brand.”
You can find Apex Valves at their new factory at 525 Rosebank Road. Get in touch by visiting their website: wattsnz.co.nz/our-story/brands/apex.
Roundabout Magazine
This article was published in Roundabout Magazine Issue 224 (November 2025).