L B White Limited is a family-owned plumbing and gasfitting company based in Alicetown, Lower Hutt, serving Lower Hutt, Petone and the broader Wellington region for over 50 years. The company was founded in 1970 by Leslie Barrie 'Barrie' White, who had apprenticed with Lawrence B. Woodley from 1960, and became a Rheem Service Centre in 1986 before adding backflow prevention installation in 1993.
Barrie's son Howard White began his own apprenticeship in 1983, taking on the Rheem service early in his career, and worked alongside his father for three decades before Barrie retired in 2010, at which point Howard took over as owner and operator. Barrie's wife Colleen White still keeps an interest in how the business runs today.
L B White specialises in industrial, commercial and domestic maintenance, installation and servicing of hot water heaters and backflow systems, alongside general plumbing, gasfitting, bathrooms, kitchens, lead flashings, gutters and spouting, drain-laying, and toilet maintenance. The company holds Master Plumbers and Master Gasfitters accreditation, and each year tests and certifies the backflow systems inside Wellington's Mt Victoria, Arras and Terrace Tunnels, as well as backflow systems across Porirua including Arena Aquatics, Cannons Creek Pool and the Titahi Bay treatment plant. L B White also offers long-term interest-free financing options for larger installations, and is available 24/7 for emergency callouts alongside its standard office hours.
For more than five decades, L B White Limited has been a fixture of plumbing and gasfitting in Lower Hutt, built and run across two generations of the White family since Leslie Barrie White founded the company in 1970.
Barrie White, as he was known to those close to him, began his trade with an apprenticeship under Lawrence B. Woodley in 1960 before laying the foundation for his own company a decade later. His son, Howard White, followed the same path, starting his apprenticeship in 1983 and quickly taking on responsibility for the Rheem service. Howard worked alongside his father for three decades, absorbing his values and technical knowledge, before Barrie retired in 2010 and Howard stepped into the role of owner and operator. Barrie's wife, Colleen White, still keeps an interest in how the business runs today.
L B White became a Rheem Service Centre in 1986, cementing a specialisation in hot water systems that continues today, and expanded into backflow prevention installation in 1993. That combination — deep hot water expertise plus certified backflow work — has become central to the business, alongside its core plumbing and gasfitting services.
Today, L B White's services span industrial, commercial and domestic maintenance, installation and servicing of hot water heaters and backflow systems, plus general plumbing, gasfitting, bathroom and kitchen plumbing, lead flashings, gutters, spouting and downpipes, drain-laying, blockage clearing, and toilet maintenance. The company holds both Master Plumbers and Master Gasfitters accreditation.
Beyond residential and commercial clients, L B White holds an ongoing responsibility for testing and certifying the backflow prevention systems inside three of Wellington's road tunnels — Mt Victoria, Arras and the Terrace Tunnel — each year. The company also carries out backflow testing and maintenance across Porirua, covering sites including Arena Aquatics, Cannons Creek Pool, the Titahi Bay treatment plant, and various supermarkets and commercial buildings. Customer reviews also point to commercial plumbing work at HSBC Tower, a large Wellington office building.
While the office runs Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 4:00pm, L B White also offers 24/7 emergency callouts for genuine plumbing emergencies, recognising that burst pipes and gas issues don't wait for business hours.
For bigger jobs like a new hot water system, L B White offers long-term interest-free financing options, letting customers install now and pay later rather than covering the full cost upfront.
Reviews left by L B White customers repeatedly highlight professionalism, punctuality, quality, responsiveness and value. Stories range from same-day drain clearing completed within two hours, to an internal gas heater from the 1970s removed at short notice on a public holiday, to careful, considerate service arranged for elderly parents dealing with a burst hot water pipe. Several reviewers specifically praised technician Fadi's clear communication and quick problem-solving under time pressure.
L B White is based at 42 Victoria Street, Alicetown, Lower Hutt, and can be reached at 04 587 1023 or [email protected]. Whether it's a routine maintenance consultation or an urgent after-hours callout, the company positions itself as a dependable local option built on more than 50 years of family history in the trade.