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In 1840, the first merinos arrived in New Zealand.
They were imported by George Rich, who moved to
NZ in 1839 and was undoubtedly one of Australasia's
great, early merino breeders.
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He went on to
establish the
Shakespeare flock
which he moved
from the north of
the North Island, to
near Christchurch in
the South Island.
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Due to ill health and Maori unrest,
Rich decided to disperse this flock
and return to England.
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The Peppin Brothers
bought the best of the
Shakespeare Stud and
these have gone on to play
a significant part in
establishing the popular
Peppin merino which
endures today.
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The NZ merino today is a far cry
from those first brought to New
Zealand 170 years ago.
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Now largely confined to the high
country of the South Island,
the New Zealand merino has evolved
into a predominantly fine wool type
with superior whiteness and style,
suited to the extreme climatic
conditions.
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and especially dry in the summerWinters are typically very cold
and summers very hot and dry.
These climatic conditions help to create
a fleece that is pure, with low CV’s and
high comfort factors.
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In New Zealand most high country
properties are family owned and
managed.
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This is key for long term
planning and investment,
the production of merino
sheep and the protection
of sensitive high country
pastures in New Zealand.
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Foreign ownership of the high country is
an extremely contentious issue amongst
the New Zealand public, particularly as
more and more pastoral lease land is
privatised.
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In New Zealand there are approximately
750 merino farms, 26 horned studs, 13 poll studs and
around 1600 rams sold annually.
A limited amount of semen is exported, primarily to
Australia, France and South America.
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A noticeable trend in the
last ten years has been
the increase in demand
for polled merino sheep.
In this period no new
horned studs have been
registered in NZ, while six
new polled studs have
been formed.
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At present, merino numbers in New Zealand
are around 2 million, down significantly from a
peak of 4 million in the 1980’s.
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Part of this decline is due to
depressed fine wool prices
over the last 20 years and
better meat prices.
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The depasturisation of large blocks of high
country which have been retired into the
conservation estate, has also played a
significant role in the decline of merino
numbers in New Zealand.
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As a consequence of the intensification
of lower land, more wether lambs are
fattened and sold for meat, leaving
fewer adult wether flocks.
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New Zealand merino wool production
is around 8 million greasy kilograms.
This equates to approximately 45,000
bales exported.
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Nowadays around
one third of the clip
is sold at auction,
a considerable
decrease from
100%, 10 years ago.
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Two thirds of the
merino clip is sold by
way of forward
contract to the
worlds premier
manufacturers seeking
to ensure consistent
supply.
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This is not only
beneficial to the
manufacturer, but
also gives
confidence to the
breeders to
continue to invest in
their operations.
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At the manufacturing end
there have been huge
performance gains.
Controlling the blending
and producing clothing
with low CV’s is a critical
feature in the “next to
skin” wear fashion.
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As Innovative companies such as American based
shoe brand Allbirds are sourcing New Zealand
Merino to craft their wool fabric made
specifically for footwear.
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With supply chain scrutiny
becoming more and more
prevalent, wool sold by
forward contract is able to be
tracked from the final
garment back to the farm
gate. This traceability ensures
farmers are responsible and
accountable for ethical and
sustainable practices.
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The impact of these consumer expectations
has not been as severe as initially feared.
Mulesing was banned in 2016 but many
farmers had volunteered to give up long
before this, as one of the conditions for
signing a forward contract was to be able to
provide wool from mules free sheep.
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As a result of the mulesing ban, farmers are
breeding sheep that are plainer in the body,
with less breach wrinkle while maintaining
wool production.
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There is a growing desire
from farmers to meet the
increasing demand for
meat. This has led to an
emphasis on muscle and
fat measurements and the
adoption of Estimated
Breeding Values (EBV’s) to
help farmers extract more
income from their flock.
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Footrot is a common problem especially in the wetter regions. On
going research is being carried out with the aim to shift the focus
from a gene marker test to a breeding value to enable the merino
industry to have a more accurate tool to successfully breed for
increasing footrot tolerance.
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The ability to increase resistance to
footrot, could allow farmers to extend
their grazing range which could in turn
see the number of merino sheep in
New Zealand double.
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In New Zealand the merino
growing areas are divided into
four regional areas, each with
their own associations
Marlborough
Canterbury
Mackenzie / Waitaki
Otago
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Each Association runs
its own activities such
as flock and hogget
competitions, wool
clip competitions and
production field days.
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This is a great forum to share best practice,
see what others are doing, discuss ideas and
issues and enjoy social activities together.
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There are several area agricultural and pastural
shows, but the most prestigious is the Canterbury
A&P show held in Christchurch in November.
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The New Zealand Merino industry is going
through a real golden patch right now.
Wool prices are at record highs and the
meat industry is favourable.
The damage to the industry is severe when
the boom times are followed by busts that
can take a decade or more to recover from.
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Hopefully we have insured ourselves against
this with the forward contract agreements
that are signed on a three to ten year term.
Continuing research and new technologies
will also increase our ability to farm merinos
for greater profitability and in a more
sustainable manner.
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Thank you