Sir Woolf Fisher (20 May 1912 – 12 January 1975) was a New Zealand businessman and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

who along with Maurice Paykel co-founded

Fisher & Paykel Fisher & Paykel Appliances Holdings Limited () is a major appliance manufacturer founded in 1934. It is a subsidiary of Chinese multinational home appliances company Haier and is based in East Tāmaki, New Zealand. Originally an importer of do ...

, a

major appliance A major appliance is a non-portable or semi-portable machine used for routine housekeeping tasks such as cooking, washing laundry, or food preservation. Such appliances are sometimes collectively known as white goods, as the products were trad ...

manufacturing company, and the Ra Ora Stud, an important

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

breeding operation.

Biography

Born in

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

, his family moved to

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

where he studied at

Mount Albert Grammar School Mount Albert Grammar School, commonly known as MAGS, is a co-educational state secondary school in Mount Albert in Auckland, New Zealand. It teaches students in year levels 9 to 13. , Mount Albert Grammar School is the second largest school in N ...

. Woolf is the oldest brother of renowned fashion entrepreneur and philanthropist, Gus Fisher. A salesman turned businessman, Fisher was involved in a number of successful New Zealand enterprises. He served as the first chairman of

New Zealand Steel New Zealand Steel Limited is the owner of the Glenbrook Steel Mill, a steel mill located 40 kilometres south of Auckland, in Glenbrook, New Zealand. The mill was constructed in 1968 and began producing steel products in 1969. Currently, the ...

. In 1960, he established the Woolf Fisher Trust to provide funding that maintained the salaries of post-primary schoolteachers and principals while sending them overseas to further their education. Fisher also supported the

Outward Bound Outward Bound (OB) is an international network of outdoor education organisations that was founded in the United Kingdom by Lawrence Holt in 1941 based on the educational principles of Kurt Hahn. Today there are organisations, called schools, i ...

Trust of New Zealand and in 1961 became its first president. In the

1964 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1964 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1964 to celebra ...

, Fisher was appointed a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised Order of chivalry, orders of chivalry; it is a part of the Orders, decorations, and medals ...

for public services, particularly in connection with the development of industry. He died in 1975 while at his

bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the or ...

on the lake at

Rotorua Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. It is sited on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authorities of New Zea ...

. In 1994, Fisher was an inaugural inductee 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 ...

Thoroughbred racing

polo Polo is a stick and ball game that is played on horseback as a traditional field sport. It is one of the world's oldest known team sports, having been adopted in the Western world from the game of Chovgan (), which originated in ancient ...

enthusiast who was responsible for the revival of the Auckland Polo Club in 1955, Fisher became a major figure in the sport of

Thoroughbred racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

. In 1950 he established Ra Ora Stud at

Mount Wellington Mount Wellington may refer to: Mountains * Mount Wellington (British Columbia), in Canada * Mount Wellington (New York), in Otsego County, New York, United States * Mount Wellington (Tasmania), in Tasmania, Australia * Mount Wellington (Victoria) ...

whose success led to new facilities being constructed in 1962 on 71.6 hectares at East Tamaki, just out of Auckland. The breeding farm stood important

stallions A stallion is an adult male horse that has not been gelded ( castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cre ...

such as Sovereign Edition (Ire),

Soviet Star Soviet Star (20 April 1984 – 7 October 2014) was an American-bred French-trained Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse and sire (horse), sire. He was bred in Kentucky, sold as a yearling for $310,000 and sent to race in Europe where he proved to ...

(USA),

Nassipour Nassipour (1980 – 7 May 1994) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and a Leading sire in Australia. He was bred in Kentucky by the Aga Khan. His sire, Blushing Groom, was the 1977 European Champion Three-Year-old and the 1989 Leading sire in ...

(USA), Desert Sun (GB), and

Marju Marju (12 March 1988 – 11 October 2016) was a Thoroughbred racehorse and Horse breeding#Terminology, sire. Background Marju was a dark bay or brown horse bred by Kilcarn Stud and owned by Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Hamdan Al Maktoum. He w ...

among others. Ra Ora Stud continued in operation after Fisher's death in 1975. Run by a Board of Trustees for his estate, it closed in 2001 and its bloodstock sold at auction. Fisher served on the

Board of Directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

of the

Auckland Racing Club Ellerslie Racecourse is the main racecourse in Auckland, New Zealand, for thoroughbred racehorses. It is an undulating, grass circuit in the suburb of Ellerslie, with a circumference of just under 1,900 metres. Racing is conducted in a clock ...

for 17 years, with two years as its president.

References

External links

* Mackie, William. ''A Noble Breed: Auckland Racing Club 1874–1974'', pages 49, 249, 299 (1974) (AWMM NZ Coll, SF 335).
Biography of Woolf Fisher at the Auckland MuseumSir Woolf Fisher at the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fisher, Woolf 1912 births 1975 deaths 20th-century New Zealand businesspeople New Zealand racehorse owners and breeders New Zealand Jews People educated at Mount Albert Grammar School Businesspeople from Wellington City New Zealand Knights Bachelor Businesspeople awarded knighthoods 20th-century New Zealand philanthropists New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame inductees