Kelvin Wright

Kelvin is the Chief Executive of Te Puna Umanga Venture Taranaki. He joined the regional development agency in May 2022 after his role as Deputy Chief Executive at New Plymouth District Council (NPDC). Prior to his role as Deputy Chief Executive, Kelvin was the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for NPDC from 2017 to 2020. Before joining local government, Kelvin held roles as the General Manager of Operations for Energyworks Ltd. in New Plymouth and the Chief Executive Officer for Allied Industrial Engineering in the Bay of Plenty. Kelvin is currently on the board of Economic Development New Zealand (EDNZ) as well as Basketball Taranaki.

Kelvin grew up in Mosgiel, Dunedin where his career started as a Toolmaker and Mechanical Design Engineer for Fisher and Paykel. He then established his own mechanical design consultancy business for New Zealand-wide manufacturers and engineering providers. After gaining his commercial pilots license and instructor ratings, he became the chief pilot/flying instructor for Air Charter Otago. Kelvin has largely lived in Taranaki since 2012 with his wife and two children.