New primary growth partnership programme sets sights on strong wool
A new collaboration between The New Zealand Merino Company (NZM) and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), announced today, aims to deliver premiums for New Zealand’s strong wool sector—a partnership that could see an additional $335 million contribution towards New Zealand’s economy by 2025. “‘Wool Unleashed’, or W3, is a new seven-year, $22.1 million Primary Growth Partnership (PGP) programme led by NZM that will derive greater value from New Zealand’s strong wool,” says Justine Gilliland, Director Investment Programmes at the Ministry for Primary Industries. “This programme aims to deliver long-term economic benefits by securing a premium for New Zealand strong wool, increasing on-shore processing, and lifting the returns of the strong wool sector overall. “The PGP is at the forefront of boosting the value, productivity, profitability and sustainability of our primary industries, and W3 represents these same core values. This programme has the potential to deliver significant benefits and transformation for the strong wool industry to capture value through the eyes of the consumer and respond to the declining profitability and volume trends. “The PGP and those involved are committed to New Zealand’s long term, sustainable economic growth, with MPI and industry committing approximately $746 million in 21 PGP programmes over time.” MPI and NZM have signed a contract so the W3 programme can formally begin. NZM Chief Executive John Brakenridge says W3 will apply NZM’s experience with fine and mid-micron wool in establishing contracts with premium brand partners and developing new uses and markets to strong wool. “We’ve already had considerable success in these areas through the New Zealand Sheep Industry Transformation Project (NZSTX), our first PGP programme, which is focused on fine and mid-micron wool and is due to wrap-up in 2017. “NZSTX was about using product differentiation to generate better grower returns for fine wool fibre, meat […]