PGG Wrightson Limited is an agricultural supply business based in New Zealand. It was created in 2005 through the merger of Pyne Gould Guinness Ltd and Wrightson Limited and has its roots in a number of stock and station agencies dating back to 1861. It is one of the major suppliers to the agricultural sector in New Zealand providing products such as seeds, grains, livestock, irrigation, farm equipment, insurance and financing.

History

The result of mergers within the

stock and station agency Stock and station agencies are businesses which provide a support service to the agricultural community. Their staff who deal with clients are known as stock and station agents.In his book Simon Ville states: "The term stock and station agent is v ...

industry in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, PGG Wrightson can trace its obvious ancestry back to 1861, with the establishment of Wright Stephenson & Co. Notable stock and station agencies that have merged to form PGG Wrightson include PGG Wrightson 2005 *Wrightson NMA 1972 ** Wright Stephenson & Co (founded by John Wright & John Stephenson) ** National Mortgage and Agency Company of New Zealand, which had taken over Russell Le Cren and Company, and Russell Ritchie and Company and Murray Roberts & Co *** Levin & Co 1896 *** Wairarapa Farmer's Co-operative Association **Dalgety Crown 1983 bought by Wrightson NMA 1986 ***Dalgety New Zealand Loan 1962 **** New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company **** Dalgety New Zealand *** Crown Consolidated merged with Dalgety 1983 *Pyne Gould Guinness ** Pyne & Co. Founded by FH Pyne. ** Gould Beaumont & Co. founded in 1851 by Joseph Gould, George Gould and John Beaumont ** Guinness & Le Cren Ltd, founded in 1890 by Edwin Rowland Guinness and Ernest Alfred le Cren ** Reid Farmers merged with PGG 2001 *

Williams & Kettle Williams & Kettle Limited with headquarters in Napier, New Zealand, owned a stock and station agent, stock and station agency business and a general merchants business with branches throughout the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. In ...

, bought by Wrightson 2005 In 2011 PGG Wrightson sold its finance division to Heartland Building Society to create a single larger rural financing organisation. In August 2018, it was announced that PGG had agreed to sell their Seeds business, PGW Seeds, to Danish company DLF Seeds for NZD $421 million, with the deal being finalised in early 2019. PGG Wrightson Seeds Holdings has operations in New Zealand, Australia, and South America. Under the deal, PGW and PGW Seeds will enter into a long-term distribution agreement for seed and grain. PGW will grant a brand licence to PGW Seeds for the continued use of the PGG Wrightson Seeds brand. In late 2018, the majority shareholder of PGW, the Chinese-owned Agria Corporation, was found guilty of fraudulent accounting by the

United States Securities and Exchange Commission The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the United States federal government, created in the aftermath of the Wall Street crash of 1929. Its ...

. Agria was subsequently ordered by the

Overseas Investment Office The Overseas Investment Office is the New Zealand government agency responsible for regulating foreign direct investment into New Zealand. The Office is responsible for high value investments (2006: NZD $100m+), investments in sensitive land an ...

to sell down its majority shareholding in PGW to 46.5%.

PGG Wrightson Country Cup

The PGG Wrightson Country Cup is the Premier Competition over the region known as the Canterbury Country. The region includes clubs from the Ellesmere and North Canterbury Sub-Unions and the

Mid Canterbury Rugby Football Union The Mid Canterbury Rugby Football Union (MCRFU) is a rugby province in the South Island of New Zealand. History The Mid Canterbury Rugby Football Union was formed in 1904 as Ashburton Country, first as a sub-union of the South Canterbury Rugb ...

Notable people

* Craig Norgate: Chairman of PGG Wrightson (and predecessor businesses) (2004–2009) * Tim Miles: CEO of PGG Wrightson (2008–2010) and former Vodafone UK CEO * George Gould: CEO of PGG Wrightson (2010–2013) *

Sir John Anderson John Anderson, 1st Viscount Waverley, (8 July 1882 – 4 January 1958), was a Scottish Civil Service (United Kingdom), civil servant and politician who is best known for his service in the War Cabinet during the Second World War, for which he ...

: Chairman of PGG Wrightson (2010–2013)

References

{{Authority control New Zealand stock and station agencies Companies listed on the New Zealand Exchange New Zealand companies established in 2005 Transport companies established in 2005 Agriculture companies established in 2005