The mob mentality
At risk of attracting untold ridicule I have decided to dedicate this edition's musings to a topic held dear to many Kiwis - sheep - or more specifically, wool.
The influence of this natural fibre on both Australia and New Zealand's economies has been enormous. Having exported its first bale of wool to Britain for commercial sale in 1807, Australia is the world's largest wool exporter producing nearly 400 million kilograms of fleece, worth around $2.8 billion annually. New Zealand, being the globe's largest producer and exporter of crossbred wool fibre, runs a close second, producing around 140,000 tonnes of fleece, worth around $A492 million annually.
However, a decline in the number of sheep since the mid 1980s - due to factors such as depressed wool prices, droughts, and competition from other land-intensive farming activities such as dairy and forestry - has meant fluctuating fortunes for those looking to make a dollar off the sheep's back.
In recent times sheep growers across both sides of the Tasman have pulled together and, armed with occasional injections from federal bodies, poured significant financial resources into research and development.
Selective breeding programs have led to these groups incorporating into wool fabrics such qualities as shrink resistance, durable creasing and pleating, moth-proofing, shower-proofing and stain-proofing in an attempt to make the fibre much more attractive to the multi-billion dollar global apparel industry.
As part of this new focus on singing merino's praises, groups such as Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) and Kiwi firm The New Zealand Merino Company have also been set up to help sell its story domestically and internationally.
The work done by these marketing bodies - in particular their dedicated fashion departments - has done much to raise the profile of the fibre through their work with high-end designer labels such as Josh Goot, Jayson Brunsdon, Akira Isogawa and Tina Kalivas.
Further endorsement from domestic retailers such as Sportscraft, Kookai, Untouched World and Herringbone and international retailers such as Marks & Spencer, Next, Zegna, Brooks Brothers and Isetan has also helped bring renewed awareness to the versatility of Australian and New Zealand merino wool.
However it is clear there is much work still to do with communicating this message through to the end consumer.
While European consumers have always revered the fibre for its ability to provide warmth in the winner and coolness in the summer, the Australasian consumer is a much harder sell. The stigma attached to the coarse fibre used in many an "itchy" school jumper and mum's homemade "daggy" winter woollies will be hard to overcome.
However the one ace the wool marketing groups still hold up their leave - and one that they are only just starting to reveal - is the ability to market the sustainable aspect of the fibre to consumers increasingly eager to see a product's green credentials. The truth of the matter is - with the exception of mulesing - that for the most part merino wool's entire supply chain is fairly ecologically sound.
Having acknowledged the rare gift it has in its hands, AWI has taken it one step further by pledging to continue to roll out corporate and social responsibility programs that aim to ensure consumers of the product's compliance, traceability and quality. New Zealand label Icebreaker has promised a similar undertaking, launching its new 'Baacode' system which allows customers to see the living conditions of the sheep and follow the fibre to the factories that knit, dye, finish, cut, manufacture and ship the end garments.
It's my bet that this sector's determination to lead the industry into a new era of reinvention may prove its most profitable move yet.
By Tracey Porter