Tauranga businesswoman Chloe Wright died this weekend, her family has announced.

The Wright family released a statement this afternoon saying she had passed away at her home in Ōmokoroa.

“As a humanitarian, Chloe dedicated her life to helping others, particularly young mothers, and children, in overcoming disadvantage and creating positive pathways toward full and happy lives.”

The statement described Wright as a “force for positive change in the lives of thousands of New Zealanders, matriarch of her own loving family and life partner to husband Wayne”.

The Wright family asked for privacy as they came to terms “with this enormous loss”.

In 2020, Wright was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to philanthropy, education and health.

At the time, she said the recognition was a “bit of a shock”.

“It’s very exciting, but you don’t think about stuff like that. Your reward is seeing lives change. It’s a constant and it’s the most incredible thing that can happen to you.”

Wright and her husband Wayne established the Wright Family Foundation in 2014, which she led as a chief executive without remuneration.

Wright founded the Bethlehem Birthing Centre in 2014 as a social enterprise.

In 1996 she co-founded BestStart Educare, with the first centre opened on Waihi Rd. It now operates under the Wright Family Foundation.

In the 2020 Bay of Plenty Times interview, she attributed her humanitarian spirit to her birth family.

The youngest of nine, Wright said she and her siblings were taught from an early age the importance of sharing and how crucial it was for people to look out for one another.

Chloe Wright with young children at a House of Science event in 2016. Photo / NZME

Wright said she felt she was a 21st-century woman, although she was born in the mid-20th century.

“If you want change, you have got to be bold,” she says.

“At the end of the day, you’ve got one life to live. It’s not a dress rehearsal and in my stage in life when the clock is ticking, you are more aware and delighted in the possibilities.

 “See, I don’t look back. I look forward.”

Mistakes are important if you learn from them, she said.

“If you want to create change, I think you definitely have to learn from history but you have to recognise all you have is the future.”