Tauranga humanitarian Chloe Wright has been announced as one of the finalists in NEXT magazine's Woman of the Year Awards.

Chloe, who co-founded the Wright Family Foundation with husband Wayne, is one of five finalists in the Education category and one of 30 finalists overall.

Chloe Wright is a finalist in NEXT magazine's Woman of the Year Awards.Photo: Tracy Hardy.

The winners of each of the six categories, and a supreme winner, will be announced at an awards event on October 13.

Chloe says she is honoured to be a finalist in these prestigious awards, and to be included in the company of a group of inspiring women.

'To be recognised in the education category is especially meaningful to me, as education and its power to positively influence a life is one of my greatest passions.

'Education is more than just words and numbers, but the everyday knowledge we accumulate through life experiences.”

Chloe's achievements and contributions in the education field are vast. She and Wayne have spent more than 20 years making a difference in the lives of children, building New Zealand's largest early childcare provider, BestStart Educare, which positively impacts on 19,000 children nationwide.

Formerly known as Kidicorp, BestStart was renamed last year and transferred to the ownership of the Wright Family Foundation, where any surplus goes back into the community.

'Education is at the heart of everything we do,” Chloe says. 'We want to actively encourage others to unleash their potential through education in various forms.

'The foundation is passionate about raising awareness of the science on aspects of life such as the importance of pre-natal health, breastfeeding and the first thousand days of a child's life. Understanding the ‘why' and ‘how' can make a vast difference to outcomes.”

Through the Wright Family Foundation, Chloe is committed to providing assistance and funds to projects focused on aiding the educational development of all New Zealanders.

By advancing education and spreading knowledge, it is her vision that we can create stronger communities.

Chloe was recently named patron of the Kids' Lit Quiz and through the foundation sponsored the accommodation, meals and educational excursions around Auckland for children from the participating eight countries.

Chloe also supports the NZ Spelling Bee – the foundation's financial support was crucial to the event and also its television coverage as ‘Spellbound', hosted by Seven Sharp's Toni Street, which will screen on TV One next month.

Other educational endeavours to benefit from the Wright Family Foundation's support include House of Science Tauranga, which receives an annual donation of $100,000, and the Tauranga branch of the Graeme Dingle Foundation, which will receive $100,000 a year for three years, enabling it to establish its Stars programme in the Bay of Plenty.

The Wright Family Foundation is also a foundation member and sponsor of the NZ Bumblebee Conservation Trust (NZBCT).

NEXT editor Sarah Henry says the NEXT Woman of the Year Awards are an 'opportunity to shine a spotlight on not only well-known women, but those who operate under the radar, who have worked tirelessly to make the world a better place in their chosen field”.