From humble beginnings to industry leader: The story behind South Pacific Roses

South Pacific Roses owner Noel Wright. Photo / David Haxton

One day, way back in 1978, Noel Wright started ripping up his backyard and planted lots of bush roses.

It wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment hobby thing but a calculated move because he had a long-term grand vision in mind.

Years before his backyard transformation, Noel worked at Oderings Garden Centre where he learnt a lot about all things gardening and specialised in bedding plants.

“At the time Oderings was one of the biggest nurseries in Australasia and still is pretty big.”

He left Oderings after more than a decade, primarily to earn more money because he was married to Rita, they had children as well as a mortgage on their Hillmorton house in Christchurch.

After 11 years as a rubber worker in the Firestone factory in Papanui, he tired of the shift work and regular union strikes, and decided it was time to get back into the gardening industry.

“That’s when I ripped up my back garden and put my first crop of roses in.

“It was a straight-out commercial decision.

“There wasn’t a rose grower in Christchurch and I had grown them at Oderings.

“I thought I knew all about roses when I started out on my own but then found out I knew bugger all.”

One of the many varieties at South Pacific Roses. Photo / David Haxton

Before long Noel and Rita had bought a 4.8ha slice of land and then a further 8ha nearby for their emerging rose empire.

Noel called the company South Pacific Roses.

“I wanted an international flavour.

“When I was getting into it, exporting was a very big thing, and the government was trying to get anyone who could do anything to export, so I thought we would give it an international name South Pacific.

“We have exported to Tahiti but that’s as far as we got.”

Fast forward to 1996 and the family decided to buy a third property in Ōtaki (4.6ha) that used to be a market garden, and turned it into a rose nursery too.

South Pacific Roses is split into two operations — Christchurch and Kāpiti.

Noel fronts the Kāpiti operation while his three children, Glenn, Paul, and Angela, spearhead the company’s original rose nursery in Christchurch.

“We grow 100,000 roses between the nurseries and have about 300 varieties.

“We grow old-world roses, which are quite popular with the older generation, and grow modern bush climbing roses as well as standard roses.”

Iceberg roses are the most popular, and white roses are generally the most popular colour.

White roses are generally the most popular. Photo / David Haxton

Overall, roses were “very popular” and he was thankful the wide varieties had provided a steady income for the family over many years.

Noel, who is nearing 80, said there was a “sense of satisfaction” with the business.

He’s still heavily involved and has no intentions of putting his feet up.

“With it being a family business I can’t retire,” he said with a smile.

“We’ve got grandchildren in the company as well so there are three generations.

“Sometimes I think it would be nice to retire and do nothing, but I think I would be bored.”

So he will carry on working in a job he’s invested so much time and energy in.

And maybe one day Noel will find his own answer to a thorny question.

“Roses are a funny thing — you either hate them or you don’t — I’m still undecided.”

– This story appears in the latest Celebrating Kāpiti magazine autumn/winter edition