William Duffus Hunt

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

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 Oruru, Northland, New Zealand.

W D 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.

William Hunt joined Wright Stephenson & Co proper in 1891. His ability was recognised by Johnstone much earlier when he was employed by them for just two months at shearing time on Wright Stephenson-managed Blackstone Hill station in the Maniatoto. Though only 17 he was kept on at the station as a permanent shepherd and soon took over the bookkeeping of the station and then its management. When Blackstone Hill station was subdivided in 1891 23 year old Hunt organised the muster and auction of the tens of thousands of sheep on the property. He was also required to act as auctioneer in the absence of George Stephenson of Wright Stephenson. J A Johnstone who had personally clerked the sale was so impressed he offered Hunt a position on the staff of Wright Stephenson & Co.

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.

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