Allan Wright (farmer)

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Sir Allan Wright
KBE
Sir Allan Wright 1993 (cropped).jpg
Wright in 1993
President of Federated Farmers
In office
1977–1981
Preceded byJohn Kneebone
Succeeded byRob Storey
Chair of Lincoln College Council
In office
1986–1989
Preceded bySid Hurst
Succeeded byPosition abolished
1st Chancellor of Lincoln University
In office
1990–1994
Succeeded by
Personal details
Born
Allan Frederick Wright

(1929-03-29) 29 March 1929 (age 92)
Darfield, New Zealand
Spouse(s)
Dorothy June Netting
​
​
(m. 1953)​
Children5
EducationChrist's College
OccupationFarmer

Sir Allan Frederick Wright KBE (born 29 March 1929) is a New Zealand farming leader and businessman. He was president of Federated Farmers between 1977 and 1981, and served as the first chancellor of Lincoln University.

Early life and family[]

Born in Darfield, Canterbury, on 29 March 1929, Wright was educated at Christ's College, Christchurch.[1] On 22 January 1953, he married Dorothy June Netting at St Paul's Anglican Church, Papanui,[2] and the couple went on to have five children.[1]

Career[]

Wright started farming a mixed arable farm near Sheffield in 1946.[3] He joined the Sheffield Young Farmers' Club in 1949, and went on to serve as the national president of Young Farmers' Clubs in 1958.[1][3] In 1973, Wright won the A. C. Cameron Royal Agricultural Society gold medal for excellence in farming.[3]

Active in the North Canterbury branch of Federated Farmers, Wright served as chairman of the meat and wool section from 1967 to 1971, and president between 1971 and 1974.[1] At a national level, he was senior vice chairman of the meat and wool section of Federated Farmers from 1971 to 1972, junior vice president in 1973, senior vice president from 1974 to 1976, and president of Federated Farmers of New Zealand between 1977 and 1981.[1] In the 1982 New Year Honours, Wright was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, in recognition of his service as president of Federated Farmers.[4]

Wright was appointed as a government representative on the Lincoln College Council in 1973, and became chair of the council in 1986. When Lincoln gained full autonomy as a university at the beginning of 1990, Wright became the inaugural chancellor of the university, serving in that role until 1994.[3] His term as chairman and chancellor was characterised by significant roll growth and an increasing diversity in courses offered at Lincoln, with a consensus leadership style.[3]

Wright has held many governance roles in business and sports. He was director of companies including Southpower, Alliance Textiles, New Zealand Rail, the Rural Bank, and FMG Insurance, and also served as president of the North Canterbury Cricket Association and as a member of the New Zealand Cricket Council.[1][3]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Jackson, Desney, ed. (1979). Notable New Zealanders. Auckland: Paul Hamblyn. p. 519. ISBN 086832020X.
  2. ^ "Marriage". The Press. Vol. 89, no. 26971. 21 February 1953. p. 1. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Allan Frederick Wright". Living Heritage Tikaka Tuku Iho. Lincoln University. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  4. ^ "No. 48839". The London Gazette (3rd supplement). 31 December 1981. p. 39.
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