We are sad to report that Wayne Wright Snr has died.
Wayne was a very generous donor to Te Arawhata, recognised as a “Supporting Benefactor”.
An entrepreneur, his businesses included lawnmowing, kiwifruit orcharding, a retaining wall business across the US and Mexico, and telecommunications in Alabama, before he and his late wife Chloe returned home to New Zealand. They co-founded Best Start Educare in 1996, which grew into New Zealand’s largest early childhood education provider. Wayne invested more than $60 million in the sector and described it as “probably the most satisfying” of all his projects.
Wayne met Chloe at a Lower Hutt biscuit factory when he was 19, and they were married for 57 years. The couple gave more than $50 million to education, the arts, and social programmes. Both were appointed Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
Wayne is survived by his five children, who his family say will continue their parents’ philanthropic legacy.