Latest News
8 November 2010: On-line sales to clip wool costs...
Farmers Weekly
The cost to famers of selling wool at auction can be halved according to the promoters of an online sales platform..... Read More...
28 October 2010: Wool Equities Forges New Industry Alliances...
Press Release
Wool Equities Limited has today announced a new formal alliance with two other partners in the wool industry which is designed to modernise the manner in which both processed and unprocessed wool is sold in New Zealand..... Read More...
27 October 2010: Wool Online Video Released.
Wool Online Ltd has released an introductory video explaining how the internet-based auction/tender system works.... Read More...
27 October 2010: Sales Technology For The Wool Industry that Works...
Press Release
Wool Online Limited has today announced the full release of its internet-based wool trading system which has been successfully operating in live test-mode for the past 18 months. .... Read More...
21 October 2010: Highlighting Strength In Numbers...
Press Release
The Federation of New Zealand Wool Merchants has announced a new Federation brand, 'WoolFirst', and the immediate availability of the networks new website at woolfirst.co.nz. .... Read More...
26 July 2010: Why wool is making a comeback...
The Independent On Sunday (UK)
As The Golden Shears World Shearing Championships take place at the Royal Welsh Show this week, a coalition of sheep farmers, designers, manufacturers and retailers convened by HRH The Prince of Wales is fighting to revive the nation's interest in wool. .... Read More...
28 June 2010: Bucking Trend
NZ Farmers Weekly V9:25
Who says there's no good news about wool? Not Osuth Otago farmer Greg Stott, who supplied the 250,000th bale of wool to be scoured by the revitalised Timaru scouring plant this season.... Read More...
23 June 2010: They want our wool in Russia
Sandra Finnie: Straight Furrow
A delegation of New Zealand wool exporting companies returned from Russia this month feeling positive about business opportunities there.... Read More...
23 June 2010: Downsizing and takeovers return to meat industry
Straight Furrow
No [wool] sale this week but the news that dominates is the failure of the proposed merger between the two wool groups, Wool Growers Holdings and primary Wools.... Read More...
23 June 2010: Elders goes back to Futuris
Sydney Morning Herald
ELDERS chief executive Malcolm Jackman has now seen the company's market value shrink twice as much, in half the time, as it did under his predecessor. Read More...
20 April 2010: Wool merchants hit back at Gattung
Shaun Ryan, President, Federation of New Zealand Wool Merchants
The Federation of New Zealand Wool Merchants would like to convey its pleasure and confidence in the Architects Project.
Our members recognise that architects have influence in the products they use in their design. The attending architects, by their own admission previously had very little knowledge of the attributes and benefits of wool, hence a low propensity to seek the wool option.
At the architect’s final evening presentation, they promoted the attributes of wool, one key point they made, was that wool was the only renewable offering in its space. This has significant appeal in promoting eco-friendly buildings.
The infrastructure behind their association cannot be underestimated, their mechanisms planned to spread the “wool word” are significant.
The Federation of NZ Wool Merchants is proud to have had a financial association with this project. We will be actively seeking out more initiatives beyond the ones currently in the pipeline.
The road back to a sustainable industry is not a short one. We must continue to find resources for these initiatives to ensure the market has the right pressures to pull it in the right direction.
5 April 2010: Wool merchants hit back at Gattung
Neil Wallace - Otago Daily Times
Wool merchants have reacted angrily to comments decrying their role by Wool Partners International (WPI) chairwoman Theresa Gattung.
Shaun Ryan, president of the federation of New Zealand Wool Merchants, said despite comments by Ms Gattung to the Rural Women New Zealand conference in Balclutha last week, WPI was a broker, trying to attract wool into what he called a "ticket-clipping auction system".
"The definition of a broker is being a commission seller with set charges, regardless of the sale price."
He said merchants owned the wool and had a direct interest in growing its value, because it determined their profitability.
Ms Gattung told 150 people at the conference that every time a grower sold wool to a private merchant, they were selling it "down the market," preventing the building of a brand and image that would benefit the entire industry.
She also pleaded with farmers not to give up on wool, but to unite behind a co-operative that could get the Government to release some capital to invest in the industry.
Mr Ryan said he was puzzled by the comments and asked what hope the wool industry had if it built a future around a business demanding Government funding.
"The Federation of Wool Merchants is currently jointly funding initiatives that are designed to improve the profile, consumption and value of wool. We will continue to bring the best conversion of this value to the farm gate," he said.
31 March 2010: Straight Furrow
Lifting the profile of wool: Guest Editorial by Shaun Ryan
Prince Charles' campaign for wool: Jo Dawson, CEO H. Dawson International
Click here to read these articles...
27 January 2010: Straight Furrow
Individual marketing undermines all NZ wool, claims exporter: Sandra Finnie
Click here to read this article...