Rachel Munn holds up a jar of life-giving leeches, aka Richardsoniasnus mauianus.
New Zealand’s only medical leech breeding and supply business – based in Te Miro just outside Cambridge – sold recently in a transaction that feels uniquely made to measure. Viv Posselt explains.
Veterinary researchers Rachel and Richard Munn took over the leech business in October. Photo: Viv Posselt
A niche enterprise – vital to the country’s surgical community – has begun a new chapter under the stewardship of two Waikato veterinarians.
The medical leech business was started by Maria and Robert Lupton 36 years ago.
They came to it by chance when the family discovered eels and leeches in dune lakes on a farm north of Dargaville. At the same time, an Auckland Zoo scientist was up there looking for leeches for his creepy-crawly exhibition.
The Lupton children lent a hand, and when the family ended up sending leeches to the zoo, a newspaper article on them was spotted by a Middlemore surgeon seeking help for a patient. He rang the zoo and was referred to the Luptons; they sent him leeches that successfully remedied the problem … and so the business began.
It was small at first, requiring loads of research and some measure of trial and error. They moved to the Waikato and built it into the country’s only medical leech breeding and supply business, sending thousands of the slippery critters via courier to multiple plastic surgery units around the country.
The numbers fluctuate, but when The News spoke to the Luptons last year, they had about 50,000 leeches of varying ages in their shed, with sales increasing as New Zealand’s population grows.
In October, the all-important enterprise passed into the hands of new owners, Rachel and Richard Munn, a superbly qualified pair of veterinarians working primarily in the field of research.
The sale has been over two years in the making. In 2023, when the Luptons made the decision to sell and retire, they knew it might take time … not because potential buyers might find the little blood-suckers an unusual commodity, but because it was essential that whoever bought it was aware of the business’s critical importance to the country’s medical experts.
“It needed to be the right buyers, people who understood the social responsibility that goes with being the only leech supplier in the country,” Maria says.
The leech farm’s former owners, Maria and Robert Lupton, flank the new owners, Rachel and Richard Munn with their daughters, Eva, 11, Amy, 10, and Olivia, 8. Photo: Viv Posselt
“We had to know they recognised the commitment around delivering the leeches, to guarantee that plastic surgeons could get what they needed when it was needed,” Robert says.
“Richard and Rachel are the perfect fit. We’re very pleased … and we’ve offered ourselves to them in an advisory capacity if needed.”
Leeches have been used medicinally for thousands of years. They are used today to help prevent a post-operative condition called venous congestion, which occurs when the blood pools and stagnates in veins cut during surgery. As the leeches feed on areas of damaged tissue, they reduce the risk of blood clotting, allowing time for new, healthy tissue to grow. Each bite provides its own shot of natural anaesthetic that numbs the area.
Maria and Robert Lupton overlooking one of the viewpoints on their Te Miro farm. Photo: Viv Posselt
While the Luptons were pondering a leech-free future, the Morrinsville-based Munns were weighing up ‘what next’. Rachel was keen on lifestyle block living when an entomologist friend sent her a link to the advertised leech business. She passed it on to Richard. At that stage, the Luptons had both their farm and the leech business up for sale together, which put it out of the reach of the Munns, but when the Luptons sold their farm separately earlier this year, the leech business stood alone and the Munns took a punt.
“It really piqued our interest,” Richard says.
“Our accountants and bankers didn’t initially know how to value it, but they were up for the challenge and so were we.”
The Munns work in the veterinary environment. Neither are familiar with the medical use of leeches on animals, but both are knee-deep into research and says that once they’re bedded in, they may well look at it.
After qualifying at Massey University, Richard completed his veterinary clinical pharmacology residency at the University of Melbourne, is a PhD and registered specialist. He is general manager/lead scientist at Cognosco, Anexa Veterinary Services in Morrinsville.
Rachel is a veterinary technologist and animal scientist, currently juggling her work as a veterinary research technician with caring for the couple’s three daughters, Eva, Amy and Olivia.
They’ve learned fast that weekends away might be interrupted by medical emergencies requiring the swift delivery of leeches for a range of accidents and plastic surgeries.
The first call came on Labour Weekend, just as they planned an outing. “We had to turn back, collect the leeches and get them couriered away,” Richard laughs.
“It was a bit of a baptism of fire.”
That will be their future, the Luptons remind them. The need is ever-present, and when it arises, no break-away is assured.
Some of the slippery yet handsome Richardsoniasnus mauianus leeches being raised by the Luptons. Photo: Viv Posselt
Rachel Munn holds up a jar of life-giving leeches, aka Richardsoniasnus mauianus. Photo: Viv Posselt
