Dame Wendy Edith Pye (born 1943) is a publisher from New Zealand. Her company, Wendy Pye Group, is considered one of the world's most successful educational export companies. Pye was born in Cookernup, in rural

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

, the youngest of four daughters. After finishing high school, she studied at secretarial school, but left to take a position as a copywriter at a radio station in

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

when she was 17 years old. Four years later she moved to New Zealand and joined the New Zealand News group. She progressed through the company, holding positions managing its magazine and trade publication divisions, and selling its children's books in the United States. In 1985 Brierly Investments bought and restructured the company and she was made redundant at the age of 42. She decided to move into educational publishing and established Sunshine Books, specialising in early reading and mathematics books, and concentrated on selling in the United States. In 1994 her United States business was bought out and she began to develop new markets in Australia and Asia. By 2010 her firm had eight offices worldwide, and Pye was one of the richest women in New Zealand. The company was one of the first to use digital and CD-Rom technology to develop multi-media educational materials, such as computer-animated numeracy and literacy resources.

Awards and recognition

In 1993, Pye was awarded the

New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal The New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993 was established by Royal Warrant on 1 July 1993. It was created to commemorate Women's suffrage in New Zealand and to recognize those New Zealand and Commonwealth citizens who had made a significant ...

. In the

1994 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1994 were appointments by most of the sixteen Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other ...

, Pye was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

, for services to export. In 2004, Pye was inducted into the

New Zealand Business Hall of Fame The New Zealand Business Hall of Fame is a figurative hall of fame dedicated to New Zealanders who have made a significant contribution to the economic and social development of New Zealand. The hall was established in 1994 by the Young Enterpri ...

: she was the first living woman to be so recognised. In the

2013 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2013 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrati ...

, Pye was appointed a

Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit () is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ...

for services to business and education. In 2014, she won the Business Entrepreneur category at the

New Zealand Women of Influence Award The New Zealand Women of Influence Awards are an annual set of awards which recognise women who make a difference to everyday New Zealanders' lives. The Awards were first made in 2013 and were initially sponsored by Westpac Bank. In 2016, Stuff N ...

s. In 2017, she won the NEXT Woman of the Year award in the Education category.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pye, Wendy 1943 births Living people People from the South West (Western Australia) 20th-century New Zealand businesswomen 20th-century New Zealand businesspeople New Zealand publishers (people) 21st-century New Zealand businesswomen 21st-century New Zealand businesspeople New Zealand Members of the Order of the British Empire Dames Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit Australian emigrants to New Zealand New Zealand Women of Influence Award recipients Recipients of the New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993