If you haven’t already guessed, we aren’t too good at sitting back and agreeing with the status quo. There have been several occasions where we’ve got involved at a marketing or political level, because we’ve seen opportunities – for both ourselves and for the industry.

Philip Munro Photo

 

THE WOOL INDUSTRY NETWORK
Submissions were sought by the Wool Industry Network regarding forming strategies for the
New Zealand wool sector. Following our disappointment and frustration with the
New Zealand wool industry,
Anne put pen to paper.

The following is our submission:
> DOWNLOAD HERE

  

THE US OPEN
We gained a certain amount of notoriety when wool from Wairewa was selected to become felt for the 2006 US Open’s tennis balls. This was initiated through our wool broker – H Dawson.

We were then invited by the felt makers, Tex Tech, to go to the US Open and visit their manufacturing plant in Portland Maine. We approached M&WNZ as we saw this an opportunity to promote
New Zealand crossbred wool to the international market. To cut a long strong short, we were told 'we do not have the mandate to support the promotion of New Zealand wool'. (See Wool Industry Network submission for more information.)

We felt the opportunity to be ambassadors for the New Zealand wool industry was too good to turn down, so we approached Lincoln University, which recognised the positive spin-offs and contributed towards some expenses. In response to that trip, we produced the following report for the Lincoln University Foundation.
> DOWNLOAD HERE

The following is video produced by Tex Tech in relation to
the Wairewa story.
>CLICK HERE TO VIEW

A curious footnote:
Many people ask if we still supply wool for tennis balls. Ironically, another New Zealand wool supplier undercut the H Dawson supply agreement and sent inferior wool the following year. Which highlights the obvious question – where are the industry controls?



  

KELLOGG RURAL
LEADERSHIP PROGRAMME
Anne was an executive member of the New Zealand Ostrich Association from 1993 to 2000, including three years as President.

She was instrumental in the inclusion of ostrich meat within the Meat Act and the development of codes for welfare and standards for ostrich meat and processing as well as the ostrich export meat protocol.

In 2001, Anne was selected for the Kellogg Rural Leadership programme. She produced a research paper as part of the programme that focused on new industry establishment.

You can download a copy of the
report below.
> DOWNLOAD HERE