Over the years the debates I’ve reported on and the “new initiatives” I’ve commented on have been legendary.
It would have been the most soul-destroying, internecine and negative saga of our sector and I can remember back to the great acquisition debate and the rise of the Sheep and Cattlemen’s Association.
The mistakes farmers or their representatives have made over the years have also cost us dearly.
To give a slice of history, the International Wool Secretariat (IWS), of which New Zealand was a member, was started in the 1930s to counter artificial fibres.
It did that well with the Woolmark brand that has been declared number one of the top 20 international logos of all time.
We owned it along with Australia and South Africa.
Unbelievably, we left the IWS in 1994, which, in my view, was one of the stupidest and costliest decisions the agricultural sector has made.
With wool it seems the worm has turned as finally we have an inclusive and vibrant player in the Campaign for Wool.
We then, at great expense, developed the Fernmark logo which has gone nowhere. Farmers paid huge dollars for that ridiculous waste.
So that’s history but, as they say, if you don’t learn from the lessons of history you’re condemned to repeat them.
With wool it seems the worm has turned as finally we have an inclusive and vibrant player in the Campaign for Wool, represented locally by the Campaign for Wool New Zealand Trust (CFWNZT).
This is a large group of wool interests funded by wool brokers and private merchants.
The board is small and representative.
I attended the Wellington launch in 2011. It was advertised as Shear Brilliance and certainly lived up to its name with wool showcased from fashion to general use.
I did wonder if the campaign would develop or fizz. It has certainly developed, and innovatively so.
It has established relationships with universities and is now working in schools.
It is running a campaign that demonstrates the fire-resistant qualities of wool.
It took a wool expo around the country.
October 16 is Woolly Hat Day.
The brains and motivation behind the Campaign for Wool came from none other than Prince Charles who certainly reversed the fortunes of mutton in the United Kingdom and will do the same for wool internationally and that’s coming from a staunch republican.
He recently sponsored a conference on wool at Dumfries House in the UK. It was the first time leading growers, designers and retailers were celebrating wool under one roof.
Prince Charles described the conference as being the wool equivalent of the Davos conference. Davos hosts the annual World Economic Forum.
The huge British retail chain Marks and Spencer chief executive Steve Rowe attended the conference and affirmed the chain’s support for wool.
That is massive for the industry.
Prince Charles has been able to encourage some really heavy hitters. The chairman of the British campaign is Nicholas Coleridge who is president of Conde Nast, an organisation publishing 100 magazines and which has 80 branded websites in 24 countries.
Attending the Dumfries conference were international fashion designers and business people including Sir Paul Smith, Livia Firth and the face of Dolce and Gabbana and a designer in his own right David Gandy.
Two hundred people attended including four Kiwis, all FFWNZT board members, Craig Smith, Philippa Wright, Renata Apatu and Stephen Foukes.
They did so at their own expense which shows their commitment.
There was a Wool Declaration that came out of the Dumfries House conference.
It was a single-page document with 10 points that were all totally relevant to our current market. They include that fact that wool is 100% natural, is a renewable resource, it forms part of the carbon cycle and is biodegradable, fire-resistant and welfare-assured.
To get the full declaration you can go to the Campaign for Wool website which you should anyway, especially if you’re a sheep farmer. It will make you feel better.
Local wool broker and one of the many funders of the Campaign for Wool is Jeremy Freeth of Freeth and Co.
He is most supportive.
“The campaign is highly constructive, transparent and education is a plus,” he said.
“It is cost-effective and heading in the right direction.
“I’m far keener putting money into the Campaign than into Wools of NZ.”
Where the Campaign is heading and what makes me really excited is to position wool at the top end of the market while ticking all the boxes of being a natural resource that is sustainably and ethically produced.
The Campaign for Wool has certainly convinced me the product has a future which is a 180-degree turn from where I’ve been.
More importantly, where the campaign is positioning wool makes the value of the NZ dollar a lot less important.
