Haywrights was a New Zealand department store chain that was founded in 1929 and eventually grew to be one of the largest department store chains in New Zealand.

History

The store opened on 13 December 1929 as Hay's. It was founded by businessman and philanthropist

James Hay James Hay may refer to: *James Hay (bishop) (died 1538), Scottish abbot and bishop *James Hay, 1st Earl of Carlisle (c.1580–1636), British noble *James Hay, 2nd Earl of Carlisle (1612–1660), British noble *James Hay, 15th Earl of Erroll (1726� ...

. In 1968, the chain merged with

Wright Stephenson Wright Stephenson was a stock and station agency founded in Dunedin, New Zealand, in 1861. Foundation and development The business was begun in 1861 as Wright, Robertson, & Co. by partners John T. Wright and Robert M. Robertson as a result of ...

(retail division) to form Hay's-Wright Stephenson, with the merger the chain expanded into the North Island. On 1 August 1970 Hay's-Wright Stephenson became Haywrights after confusion among customers about the name. In January 1976 Haywrights purchased Milne & Choyce a department store chain based in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

, in an effort to expand further into the North Island. A total of 30–40 employees were laid off at the Mount Roskill Warehouse and at the

Downtown Shopping Centre Commercial Bay Shopping Centre is a shopping centre in the Auckland CBD, Auckland, New Zealand. It is situated at 11–19 Customs Street West between Lower Albert Street and the Britomart Transport Centre. The centre was known as Downtown Shoppi ...

store Milne & Choyce stores. The company was taken over by the Farmers Co-operative Association in 1980 and integrated into chain of department stores with all stores from Farmers and Haywrights being rebranded to Farmers & Haywrights (commonly written as Farmers-Haywrights or Farmers Haywrights or Farmers/Haywrights). In 1982 Bunting & Co. acquired the company and sold 13 stores of Farmers & Haywrights stores to

Farmers Trading Company The Farmers Trading Company Ltd (branded as Farmers) is a New Zealand mid-market department store chain. Headquartered in Flat Bush, Auckland, Farmers operates 59 stores across New Zealand, specialising in family fashion, beauty, homewares, fur ...

(FTC) and a distribution centre in Christchurch for $12million along with this the other stores were closed. With this sale Farmers & Haywrights stores became part of FTC.

Stores

Date opened is when the store became a Hay's, Haywrights or Farmers & Haywrights, if known opening date as its previous incarnation will be stated. {, class="wikitable" , + !Location !About !Opening !Closing , - ! colspan="4" , South Island Locations , - ,

Gloucester Street Gloucester Street is a major urban street in central Christchurch in the South Island of New Zealand. It runs for approximately from a junction with Rolleston Avenue, directly opposite Christ's College at its western end to the suburbs of Li ...

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

, Flagship location of the brand, opened in 1929 as Hay's and operated until 1982 when it was rebranded as a Farmers, the building was torn down in 1997 and Farmers operated on the site until the

2011 Christchurch earthquake A major earthquake occurred in Christchurch on Tuesday 22 February 2011 at 12:51 p.m. local time (23:51 UTC, 21 February). The () earthquake struck the entire of the Canterbury region in the South Island, centred south-east ...

, the Te Pae: Christchurch Convention Centre now sits on the site. The store was also home to the well known Hay's Rooftop which was a children's playground on the roof of the store it existed from the opening until its conversion into a Farmers store. The store faced onto Armagh Street/ Victoria Square,

Colombo Street Colombo Street is a main road of the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. It runs south-north through the centre of Christchurch with a break at Cathedral Square. As with many other central Christchurch streets, it is named for a colonial Anglica ...

. In 1970 the Hay's signage was removed from the Victoria Square side and replaced with Haywrights signage. , 1929 , 1982 , - ,

Sydenham Sydenham may refer to: Places Australia * Sydenham, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney ** Sydenham railway station, Sydney * Sydenham, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne ** Sydenham railway line, the name of the Sunbury railway line, Melbourne ...

, Christchurch , On 22 March 1955, Hay's opened its Sydenham store (also known as the South Christchurch store), the store was expanded in 1975 and eventually turned into a Farmers store (now closed). Around the store the South Mall was built which is now known as The Colombo. , 1955 , , - , Church Corner, Christchurch , Opening in 1960 the store was converted to Farmers in 1982 when FTC purchased the company and later it was converted into a Dollar Wise supermarket and then demolished in the late 1980s a

Countdown A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...

supermarket is now on the site. , 1960 , 1982 , - ,

Timaru Timaru (; mi, Te Tihi-o-Maru) is a port city in the southern Canterbury Region of New Zealand, located southwest of Christchurch and about northeast of Dunedin on the eastern Pacific coast of the South Island. The Timaru urban area is home to ...

, In 1961 Hay's purchased Timaru department store T. and J. Thomson (Est. 1883) they rebranded the store into Hay's and in 1982 it was converted to Farmers and the Farmers still operates currently. Before the permant store a limited time furniture showroom was opened in 1938 above the State Theatre on Stafford Street. , 1961 , 1982 , - ,

Oamaru Oamaru (; mi, Te Oha-a-Maru) is the largest town in North Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand, it is the main town in the Waitaki District. It is south of Timaru and north of Dunedin on the Pacific coast; State Highway 1 and the railway ...

, The Oamaru store was originally the John Bulleid department store and was bought and rebranded to Hays in 1961, the store is currently a Farmers. , 1961 , 1982 , - , Northlands, Christchurch , Opened as a Hay's branch on 18 October 1967, prior to the Northlands mall opening on 1 November 1967, the store was converted to Farmers in 1982 and still currently operates as a Farmers. , 1967 , 1982 , - , Riccarton Mall, Christchurch , Originally a Farmers co-op which opened with the mall in 1965. In 1980 the store was rebranded from Farmers to Farmers-Haywrights and closed in 1982. The space was converted into fifteen more stores a mezzaine level and renovation of the office spaces in the mall. , 1980 , 1982 , - ,

Rangiora Rangiora is the largest town and seat of the Waimakariri District, in Canterbury, New Zealand. It is north of Christchurch, and is part of the Christchurch metropolitan area. With an estimated population of Rangiora is the 30th largest urba ...

, The store was originally a Farmers Co-op and in 1982 was bought by Rangiora Farmers Ltd. and continued to trade as Farmers, the main shareholder of the Rangiora Farmers company were A. Still manager of the Cashel Street store and T. Freer manager of the Rangiora store. The store is currently still a Farmers but the building was replaced after it received earthquake damage. , 1980 , 1982 , - , Ashburton , Originally a Hay's. The Farmers Co-op store was merged into the store in 1980 , , , - , Baclutha , , , 1976 , - ,

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

, The store was large with entrances on George Street and Great King Street, located between Moray Place and St Andrew Street. The building was originally constructed for the firm of A.T. Inglis and was later the premises of Brown Ewing Ltd before becoming the Dunedin Hay's branch. As of 2023 the building is a Farmers and the only Farmers store in Dunedin. , , 1982 , - , Blenheim , The store eventually became part of the Centre Point mall at Market Square/Market Place and another smaller Hardware store also existed in Blenheim. A sub-branch of the store existed in Picton for the " holidaymaker". The store was located at 31 Market Street. , , , - ,

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

, , , , - , Moteuka , The store was sold in 1982 to Whitwell Holdings which owned the building that the store was located in. Located at 201 High Street and was the last operating store operating till at least 1989. , , , - ,

Greymouth Greymouth () (Māori: ''Māwhera'') is the largest town in the West Coast region in the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the Grey District Council. The population of the whole Grey District is , which accounts for % of the West Coas ...

, The store was closed in 1982 and was taken over by T. A. Dellaca. , , 1982 , - ,

Cashel Street City Mall is the main pedestrian mall in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand, comprising two sections of Cashel Street plus the Bridge of Remembrance and one section of High Street. It is also known colloquially as Cashel Mall. The Brid ...

, Christchurch , Converted to Christchurch Home Centre. , 1980 , 1982 , - , Queen Street, Blenheim , , , , - ,

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

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Rakaia Rakaia is a town seated close to the southern banks of the Rakaia River on the Canterbury Plains in New Zealand's South Island, approximately 57 km south of Christchurch on State Highway 1 and the Main South Line. Immediately north of the ...

, , , , - , Methven , , , , - ! colspan="4" , North Island Locations , - ,

, Opened as a

Milnes Milnes is a surname of British origin, a variant of the surname ''Mills''.Milnes Name Meaning and H ...

in February 1975 the store was rebranded to Haywrights in January 1976 after Haywrights purchase of the Milne & Choyce company, the store continued on as a Haywrights store until October 1979. The Downtown Shopping Centre closed in 2016 and on the site currently is the Commercial Bay development. , 1976 , 1979 , - ,

Glenfield Mall Glenfield Mall is an enclosed shopping centre in the North Shore suburb of Glenfield, Auckland, New Zealand. It is situated between Glenfield Road to the west, Downing Street to the south and Bentley Avenue to the north. The centre features ma ...

, Auckland , The store opened at the same time as the mall in 1971, It opened as a Haywrights and was later sold to Farmers Trading Company in 1978. Farmers still currently operates a store at the mall. , 1971 , 1978 , - ,

Henderson Henderson may refer to: People *Henderson (surname), description of the surname, and a list of people with the surname *Clan Henderson, a Scottish clan Places Argentina *Henderson, Buenos Aires Australia *Henderson, Western Australia Canada *He ...

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LynnMall LynnMall is a shopping centre in New Lynn, a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. New Zealand's first shopping centre, LynnMall, has been servicing Auckland's western suburbs for over 50 years. Since opening in 1963, the centre has continued to evol ...

, Auckland , Opened as a Milne & Choyce in 1963 it was sold to Rendells Ltd. in 1978. , 1963 , 1978 , - ,

Māngere Māngere () or Mangere is one of the largest suburbs in Auckland, in northern New Zealand. It is located on mainly flat land on the northeastern shore of the Manukau Harbour, to the northwest of Manukau City Centre and 15 kilometres south of ...

, , , 1978 , - , Manukau City Mall, Auckland , , , , - , Panmure, Auckland , The store was sold to Rendells Ltd. in 1978 & as of 2022 is a Postie store , , , - , St. Lukes, Auckland , , , , - ,

Takapuna Takapuna is a suburb located on the North Shore of Auckland, New Zealand. The suburb is situated at the beginning of a south-east-facing peninsula forming the northern side of the Waitematā Harbour. While very small in terms of population, it ...

, Auckland , The store closed in 1978 , , , - ,

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

, The store opened on 29 February 1969, as John Courts then rebranded to Cornishs in 1974 and then Haywrights in September 1975. In 1979 was sold and converted into a D.I.C opening on 1 August 1979. The store was on the corner of Tutanekei & Eruera St. , , , - , Napier , The store was sold to D.I.C in 1979.{{Cite web , title=Haywrights to sell two North Island stores , url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19790419.2.122?end_date=31-12-1979&items_per_page=10&query=Haywrights+North+island&snippet=true&start_date=01-01-1970 , access-date=26 August 2022 , website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz , , , - ,

Dannevirke Dannevirke ( "Earthworks (archaeology), work of the Danes", a reference to Danevirke; mi, Taniwaka, lit= or ''Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua'', the area where the town is), is a rural service town in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of the North Island, New ...

, The store was sold to D.I.C in 1979. , , , - ,

Taihape Taihape is in the Rangitikei District of the North Island of New Zealand. It serves a large rural community. State Highway 1, which runs North to South through the centre of the North Island, passes through the town. History and culture Early ...

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Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

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Tūrangi Tūrangi is a small town on the west bank of the Tongariro River, 50 kilometres south-west of Taupō on the North Island Volcanic Plateau of New Zealand. It was built to accommodate the workers associated with the Tongariro hydro-electric pow ...

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Coastlands Coastlands is a beach settlement in the Whakatāne District and Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located north of Whakatāne, directly across the Whakatāne River. A tsunami siren is located at Coastlands. History and ...

Paraparaumu Paraparaumu () is a town in the south-western North Island of New Zealand. It lies on the Kapiti Coast, north of the nation's capital city, Wellington. Like other towns in the area, it has a partner settlement at the coast called Paraparaumu Bea ...

, The store was sold to James Smith in 1979. , , , - ,

Lambton Quay Lambton Quay (once known as The Beach) is the heart of the central business district of Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. Originally, as the name implies, it was the high-water line of the foreshore, and sometimes the sea would roll ...

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) 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 second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

, Appliance store sold to James Smith in 1979. , , , - ,

Lower Hutt Lower Hutt ( mi, Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai) is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Administered by the Hutt City Council, it is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area. It is New Zealand's sixth most p ...

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Masterton Masterton ( mi, Whakaoriori), a large town in the Greater Wellington Region of New Zealand, operates as the seat of the Masterton District (a territorial authority or local-government district). It is the largest town in the Wairarapa, a r ...

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Gallery

File:Mackay Street, Greymouth, 1979. CC678.jpg, alt=, Haywrights, Greymouth (Seen in the background) File:Haywrightsdowntownauckland.gif, Haywrights, Downtown Shopping Centre, Auckland File:HaywrightsGlenfield.jpg, Haywrights Glenfield Mall File:Haywrightstlukes.webp, St. Lukes Mall late 1970s File:Haysstlukes.jpg, Outside St. Lukes late 1970s

References

1929 establishments in New Zealand 1987 disestablishments in New Zealand Department stores of New Zealand Companies based in Christchurch Defunct retail companies of New Zealand