Guide
Kitchen deposits and payment schedules in New Zealand
New Zealand kitchen deposits are large because cabinetry is made to order. Sunshine Joinery's published terms are 35% before manufacture and 50% before install; HK Kitchens asks 50% eight weeks before install. The protection is not a small deposit, it is payments tied to events you can see.
Updated
Key takeaways
- Sunshine Joinery: 35% before manufacture, 50% before install (published terms of trade).
- HK Kitchens: 50%, eight weeks before install (published FAQs).
- Deposits are large because your cabinets are built for your room and cannot be resold.
- Tie each payment to an event, not a date.
- Hold a final payment back until the compliance records are in your hands.
Why the deposit is big
Because a kitchen is made to order. The workshop buys board, hardware and a benchtop slab for your room specifically, weeks before anyone arrives at your house. If the job stops after that, none of it can be resold.
That is a genuine reason, not a sales tactic. What it does mean is that the deposit is the moment your money is most exposed, so it is the moment to have the contract, the scope and the company details right.
What NZ companies publish
Two New Zealand joiners publish their terms openly, and they are a useful benchmark for whatever you are offered.
| Company | Terms |
|---|---|
| Sunshine Joinery | 35% before manufacture, 50% before install |
| HK Kitchens | 50%, eight weeks before install |
Both are the companies' own published terms, linked in the sources below.
A schedule that protects you
Split the money across events rather than paying in two large lumps: signing, manufacture, delivery and completion. Each payment then buys something you can point at, and the last one gives you leverage over the details that get forgotten.
| Payment | When | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 20% | On signing the contract | Less your $595 consult credit |
| 40% | When your cabinetry goes into manufacture | Pays the workshop's material order |
| 30% | On delivery to site | Your cabinets are in the house |
| 10% | On completion | Released once the plumber's and electrician's compliance records are handed over |
Proposed schedule, published so you can compare it. It will be confirmed against our joinery partner's own terms before any contract is signed.
Questions worth asking before you pay anything
- What exactly does this payment buy, and how will I know it has happened?
- Who holds the money between the deposit and the delivery?
- What happens to my deposit if the job is delayed by consent or by the supplier?
- Which trades are named in the contract, and when do I get their compliance records?
- Is there a retention, and what releases it?
Questions
What is a normal kitchen deposit in NZ?
Published terms range from 35% before manufacture to 50% before install (Sunshine Joinery, HK Kitchens). Large deposits are normal for made-to-order cabinetry; what varies is how the rest is structured.
Is it safe to pay a 50% deposit?
It is common, but pay it against a written contract with an itemised scope and a named company, not against a verbal quote. Check the company details before you transfer anything.
Should I pay by card or bank transfer?
For a large milestone, bank transfer avoids the card fee: at Stripe's NZ domestic rate of 2.65% + $0.30, a $6,000 payment costs about $160 in fees. We offer both and never hide the difference.
When should the final payment be made?
After a walk-through, after the defect list is agreed, and once you have the compliance records for the licensed work. We hold 10% for exactly that moment.
Sources
- Sunshine Joinery: terms of trade (PDF)
- HK Kitchens: process FAQs
- CheckMyBuilder, kitchen renovation cost (updated July 2026)
Checked 15 September 2026. We re-check every published figure quarterly.
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