Our History
Established by Margaret Wright’s father Harold Blair after the 2nd World War
Blair Wright Group is Wellington's largest collision repair business; it consists of three Specialist Repair Centres, a separate administration office and 40 staff spread across the three sites and head office.
The company is lead by Managing Director Margaret Wright, with the assistance of Director Tom Wright, both have over 30 years experience in the industry. Margaret served on the MITO Board for 5 years and over 20 years on the Wellington Executive of the Collision Repair Association.
One of Wellington’s oldest collision repair businesses. In the mid1970s Margaret who had worked for Harold, took over the business with her husband Tom.
At this time the business had one repair centre operating from Thorndon in Wellington. Over the next ten years that repair centre was relocated to Hopper Street and two more centres, one in Johnsonville and the other in Waterloo Quay were established.
Blair Wright Timeline
1940H.C Blair & CO is established by Harold Blair in Thorndon.
1976Company was bought by daughter Margaret and husband Tom in renamed as Blair Wright Limited.
1980Second workshop opened in Johnsonville.
1986Third ( and the largest ) workshop opened in Waterloo Quay.
1997Head Office opened in Wellington CBD, Thorndon workshop sold, and the Hopper Street workshop opened.
Blair Wright Employee Experience
The H.C Blair & Co repair crew and Margaret Wright at the original repair centre in Thorndon, Wellington
Left to Right, Floyd Peni, Steve Jobson, Steve Kilmartin, Blair Harkness
One of the keys to its ongoing success is the service and skills of a core of long-serving staff, some of whom have been with the company for over 25 years.
Group Operations Manager Steve Jobson, a qualified technician, has been with Blair Wright for over 25 years with the company, and is responsible for all three repair centres.
The largest Repair Centre is in Waterloo Quay within the Centre of Wellington. The Managers are Steve Kilmartin (qualified tradesman with 18 years experience) and Blair Harkness, who started as an apprentice in 1991. They are assisted by Daniel Love, Production Co-ordinator who also started as an apprentice in 1999, and Floyd Peni, Service Coordinator, who has been in the industry for over 25 years.
The Johnsonville repair centre is managed by Alastair Herriot, who also started as an apprentice with the company 20 years ago. Martin Evans a qualified technician, with over 25 year’s service, manages Hopper Street and is assisted by Tony Prescott, a qualified technician with 20 years in the trade.
Located in the Wellington CBD, the team of skilled administrators and finance personal are managed by Rachelle Wright who has been with Blair Wright for over 15 years.
