HOT AIR: Serene Fan Heaters and the largest Appliance Recall in New Zealand history by Justin Sollitt

and HOT AIR: Serene Fan Heaters and the largest Appliance Recall in New Zealand history

by Justin Sollitt

DESCRIPTION
ISBN: 9780473707996
Format: medium softcover
Published: August 2025, updated 2026
Size (mm): 160 w x 210 h x 25 d
Pages: 286
SKU: A4/2608/POD 

ABOUT

This story is being updated in lieu of the recent ongoing media coverage and enforcement action by Government Ministry MBIE against the Serene Industries Ltd directors, Christopher Woodward and Alexander Woodward.

To be put on the reprint list please email books@unicornbooks.co.nz 


7 years, 52 Safety Warnings, 19 Fires, $17 million cost, Zero Accountability.

The scandal Serene and WorkSafe tried to bury — and the one man who stopped them.

"Extremely well researched and written with forensic precision"

Worthy of a TV drama, this is a story of New Zealand national and public interest significance...

This investigative work is a detailed account of the shocking true story of how one of New Zealand’s most respected appliance legacies collapsed in late 2023, into the largest and most catastrophic appliance safety scandal in the New Zealand history, with its unprecedented systematic regulatory failure and massive product recall.

The author and industry insider Justin Sollitt provides an clear, complete, and unvarnished permanent record of the Serene heater recall crisis that is owed to the New Zealand public and industry—that is unforthcoming from either the manufacturer Serene Industries Ltd, or the nation's government safety regulator WorkSafe / EnergySafe.

The public record of the Serene/Worksafe safety scandal represents nearly eight years of exhaustive, futile, closed-door diplomacy between Sollitt/Genco Energy Group and the Serene Industries directors and Worksafe officials to resolve matters of public safety on a national scale.

The result and fallout of the Serene safety recall that exploded into the public domain in 2024 includes: numerous Ministerial crisis meetings—Ministerial enforcement intervention—the multi-million dollar cleanup cost—a Ministerial Regulatory Review—a large insurance investigation—and MBIE enforcement action being sought against the directors of Serene Industries Ltd.

This account pulls back the curtain on the breathtaking and bewildering series of events commencing in 2016, that led up to the Serene recall that exploded into the public domain in early 2024.

What started in 2016 as an easily manageable but necessary series of minor "tweaks" recommended to Serene heater manufacturing, had by 2024 remained completely ignored and spiralled into national safety crisis that has left thousands of property and business owners across New Zealand at risk, as well leaving them saddled with 17 million dollars in costs/losses.

At the time of publishing this Serene scandal still leaves tens of thousands of New Zealanders at risk.

This account also answers the fundamental question now begged by the New Zealand public and industry— how and why on earth could this disaster have even been allowed to happen, considering the numerous and obvious fire incidents, as well as the 52 safety warnings of the fire incidents, that had been officially filed since as early as 2017.

This work calls firmly into question both manufacturer Serene Industries, and the New Zealand safety regulator, WorkSafe / EnergySafe. 

The Serene owner/directors’ Christopher and Alexander Woodward operated since at least 2015 with Titanic level hubris, arrogance, delusion, negligence, subterfuge and technical incompetence. For years they promoted themselves as "industry veterans" and "We are number 1", whilst they deliberately manipulated and duped everyone they encountered including: the public, the safety regulator, wholesale resellers, licensees, installers, Wikifrauds, consumer advocacies, their own staff, and their lawyers.

At the same time the safety regulator WorkSafe / EnergySafe had for seven long years leading up to this crisis being exposed in early 2024, largely dismissed or completely ignored the 52 detailed safety audit reports and warnings from Sollitt.

WorkSafe officials also ignored the ever growing tally of 19 official, and a much higher unofficial, heater fire and electric shock incidents recorded across the country. At the same time they were completely taken in by the litany of loose skew facts and half-truths, as dispensed by the directors of Serene Industries.

Commencing in mid-2017, Sollitt/Genco identified and took action in just seven days—with what the New Zealand safety regulator, WorkSafe failed to understand in seven years.

At the same time, the legal advice Sollitt received concerning the Serene business stripped away any room for compromise. Sollitt was counselled in no uncertain terms: any director of an importer, reseller or promotor that continues to knowingly import, promote, and sell these dangerous and non-compliant appliances in either Australia or New Zealand—especially considering the public fire safety record in New Zealand—would likely face a a prison sentence of up to eight years as a consequence of just a single injury or fatality from a defective Serene heater. Then Sollitt had to consider his obligations as a registered electrical professional to take action that carried similar penalties.

Sollitt was now caught between a enormous rock and a hard place; choosing between a massive financial loss through closing—or risk of a prison sentence by ignoring his duty of care obligations.

Another glaringly obvious question being asked by both the New Zealand public, and the subsequent Ministerial review into the Serene crisis— why were there no lessons learnt from the Pike River Mine tragedy only a few years prior, and its subsequent Royal Commission of Inquiry? 

In the case of Pike River there was a comparable and consistent stream of safety warnings by industry insiders for years, that went ignored or dismissed by both management and the regulator which ultimately led to the explosion that killed 29 miners. Ironically, it was the Pike River tragedy that directly lead to the formation of WorkSafe / Energy Safe in the first place.

This is an account of the catastrophic collision between these two frighteningly dysfunctional and technically incompetent industry "leaders" and "veterans".

Reconciling the Serene/Worksafe crisis it is very easy for a layman to see how the Pike River Mine tragedy happened.

This safety crisis also clearly exposes both Serene Industries and WorkSafe as the epitome and global gold standard of "all authority and no accountability".

This Serene disaster draws striking parallels to the safety shortcomings of the Grenfell Tower fire and the Titan/Ocean Gate disasters, as well as the corporate subterfuge matching the Theranos/Elizabeth Holmes scandal. 

Meanwhile, the author's effort and sheer tenacity in exposing this scandal over nearly a decade, is a carbon copy of the TV drama "Mr Bates vs the Post Office".

This account is so shocking that it will leave even the most seasoned international business owner in utter bewilderment and disbelief, asking "you couldn't make this up if writing fiction?"

"Sollitt's work is a masterclass for business owners at all levels in forensic corporate accountability, extreme risk management, and the absolute grit required to survive, when a legacy manufacturer, the country's most prominent law firm, an entire industry, and the government—are all firmly against you." 

Illustrated throughout.

The author, Justin Sollitt, was the Australian distribution licensee for Serene Industries Ltd between 2016-2017, via the Melbourne based subsidiary of his company Genco Energy Group. Sollitt and the technical team at Genco were responsible for uncovering the numerous safety and compliance defects across almost all Serene products, as well as subsequently filing the 52 safety reports/warnings into Serene, Worksafe and industry during 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023.

Justin Sollitt is based between New Zealand and Australia. He is a trade-trained registered electrician, pilot and aviation professional, plant and machinery valuer, distressed project and commercial recovery specialist, risk and compliance advisor, director and founder of multiple international businesses, and a volunteer business mentor.