Philippa Wright has sold her company Wright Wool and is retiring.
Philippa Wright has sold her company Wright Wool and is retiring.
A queen of the Hawke’s Bay wool industry, Philippa Wright has sold her wool business in Waipukurau and is retiring after almost 50 years in the industry.
Her business, Wright Wool, has been purchased by WoolWorks NZ.
WoolWorks Grower Direct (part of WoolWorks NZ) takes ownership and will keep thecompany in Waipukurau - as a wool broker, dag crusher and woollen pillow company - and will also keep the five existing staff.
Wright, who lives in Clive, said it was time to move on and for “young blood” to come into the industry with fresh ideas, including how to tap into higher-value products for wool and better reward farmers.
Originally from Canterbury, but having spent her career in Hawke’s Bay, Wright has owned and run Wright Wool for more than two decades and has 48 years’ experience in the industry.
“After 48 years, I feel like it’s time for new blood.
“I really believe that the young ones are going to come in and just be more innovative and think differently, we need that young blood in, and it’s my time to move aside.”
Wright Wool in Waipukurau will remain operating. Photo / Supplied
Wright, now in her mid-60s, will continue to be a board member for The Campaign for Wool and advocate for the wool industry.
She said she was proud of her career, including being innovative as a wool broker (testing and selling wool to exporters on behalf of farmers). Her company handles about 10,000 bales per year.
“I think the innovation that I have brought ... created a bit of change around small brokering businesses.”
She said despite her company’s size, she had been able to become part of the wider wool industry, which she had thoroughly enjoyed.
As for highlights of her career, she said sharing a meal with King Charles in Scotland (prior to his becoming king) was special about eight years ago as part of her wool advocacy work, and also experiencing rural New Zealand.
“I have got to places in New Zealand that I never would have experienced or even realised there is a road.”
She said starting out, it had not been easy being a woman in the industry, but there were more women in the industry now.
She said she would like to see more women in boardrooms and executive roles.
As for changes to wool broking, she said testing wool scientifically had only just come in when she started out and had been massive for the industry.
She said the biggest challenge for the industry was producing high-value products from wool - and there was a lot of potential in that space - and also the dropping number of sheep in New Zealand.
WoolWorks NZ (which owns all three wool scourer plants in NZ) established WoolWorks Grower Direct at the start of this year.
It provides a streamlined process for farmers to get more value for their wool.
“[Purchasing Wright Wool] gives us access to passionate wool growers who are located in a strong wool growing region,” WoolWorks CEO Rosstan Mazey said.
Wright was made a member of the NZ Order of Merit (MNZM) in 2019 for services to the wool industry.
Gary Hamilton-Irvine is a Hawke’s Bay-based reporter who covers a range of news topics including business, councils, breaking news and cyclone recovery. He formerly worked at News Corp Australia.
