William Duffus Hunt

Sir William Duffus Hunt (2 December 1867 – 18 September 1939) known before his knighthood as W D Hunt, was a leading New Zealand businessman of the first half of the 20th century. With his partner James Johnstone, he built one of Australasia's leading stock and station agencies, Wright Stephenson & Co.

Early life and family New Zealand-born of Gloucestershire wool-growing stock Hunt was the only son and eldest child of John Hunt, a farmer and early settler at Oruru, Northland, and his wife Maria Frances, daughter of Jamaica-born Etonian Rev John Duffus M A, vicar of St Andrew, Mangonui.

He was born on 2 December 1867 in either Oruru, Northland, or Walton.

Hunt married twice. At Gore on 20 December 1894 he married Ismene Helena Stanley. Ismene had a daughter and a son before she died in May 1900. Two years later, 15 May 1902, Hunt married Jessie Belstead Edwards in Adelaide, South Australia. There was just one child of the second marriage, a second son.

Gore

The same year the partners in Wright Stephenson decided it was time to open their first branch. They chose Gore on the banks of the Mataura river and sent William Hunt to organise it though within three years times had become so hard it was deemed prudent to close Gore and confine operations to Otago. In spite of their difficulties Hunt's well chosen Gore customers all settled their accounts in full. In 1896 the government resumed borrowing overseas making advances to settlers on freeholds and long term leaseholds at moderate interest rates and the farming outlook improved. Gore was re-opened and another branch opened at Invercargill, Hunt being made responsible for all Southland province. Johnstone remained in Otago. In 1935, he was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal.

Private life Until he moved his family to Wellington in 1917 he lived in Invercargill where he ran stud Friesians and stud Romneys. On making the move he gave their Invercargill home to the Plunket Society, he was chairman of Plunket's specialist manufacturing operation. He was a keen deer stalker and fly fisherman.

Note