Wool
Geraldine farmers go to bat for endangered species
Award winning wagyu beef farmers Evan and Clare Chapman were going to cut down a row of willows at their Kakahu property until they discovered a colony of long-tailed bats/pekapeka had made the old… Audio, Gallery
Swapping Chromebooks for knitting needles
Crossbred wool is in Andrea Bulleid's DNA. She farms sheep and beef at Longridge North in Southland with her husband Chris. A frustration with poor wool prices and lack of education about wool led her… Audio
Sixty Years of The Golden Shears
New Zealand's premier shearing competition, The Golden Shears, is gearing up for its 60th birthday bash next week. Despite scepticism at the start and declining demand for wool, The Golden Shears is… Audio
Picking up the fence posts: farming in Waiau after the quake
When the magnitude-7.8 earthquake shook North Canterbury nearly three years ago, a 3.5-metre high wall of earth formed on Dave and Rebekah Kelly's sheep and beef station. The 'Wall of Waiau' – as it's… Audio, Gallery
Trade War affects NZ Wool Prices
The trade war between the US and China is being blamed for significant drops in fine wool prices, up to 35% compared with last year for some lines. South Island farmer Murray Scott says two thirds of… Audio
No pulling the wool over 'The Shearers'
Likened to running a marathon, a shearer's job is up there with some of the most physically and mentally demanding occupations. Oral historian and writer living in Tīmaru, Ruth Entwistle Low speaks… Audio, Gallery
Mavis Mullins' journey from shearing shed to boardroom
New Zealand Business Hall of Famer Mavis Mullins' life has been a fascinating journey from a shearing shed on the outskirts of Dannevirke to multiple governance role and collecting an MBA along the… Audio, Gallery
Farming meets fashion
AgMatch is a web-based initiative that gives farmers, who pay an annual membership fee, access to lower priced farming supplies and hopefully increased returns by using their combined numbers as a… Audio
Tumblin' Down
Not that long ago, the New Zealand economy was built on sheep, sheep and more sheep. We were asking for economic trouble and in the late 1960s, we got it. Produced by Justin Gregory. Audio
Should real NZ wool be used for souvenirs?
Federated Farmers opinion piece has argued for Kiwiana to be made out of New Zealand wool. The piece says with close to 4 million international visitors a year, kiwi toys should be made from kiwi… Audio
Old looms in Oamaru produce fine fabrics for today
Oamaru artisans Rod and Sue McLean use heritage looms to produce hand woven and stitched textiles. The fabrics, made mostly from locally sourced wool, are woven on Yorkshire-made Hattersley weaving… Audio
Life at Isolation Station
Noel Moleta was brought up on D'Urville Island in the Marlborough Sounds and has been farming sheep on an isolated property at nearby Titirangi Bay for four decades. Audio
Crossbred wool gets a fibre facelift
One of Miles Anderson's key goals is to make strong wool great again. To achieve that, the South Canterbury sheep farmer and Federated Farmers Meat and Wool chair has his work cut out for him. Miles… Audio
NZ wool on trial for space travel
Wool is still big business, but how is it being used? Woollen air filters have been designed for space travel by a New Zealand company and are being tested by NASA. Audio
Wool for better sleep
New research says woollen clothing regulates body temperature and keeps you in a 'thermal comfort zone', whether you need to be hot or cold. And this is brilliant for getting better sleep. Audio
Does lamb and wool's surge pose a threat to dairy?
New Zealand lamb prices are at their highest ever, more than $8 a kg. We talk about lamb prices, and the return of wool, and when cows attack, with Miles Anderson from Fed Farmers Audio
McPhee's Dorpers
Canterbury vet Jim McPhee runs a Dorper sheep stud on his small farm near Darfield. The meat-focused Dorper is attracting interest from farmers because the breed sheds their own wool, which eliminates… Audio
Wool stained yellow by hot summer weather
An unusually hot and humid summer in the North Island has stained wool yellow, making it harder to sell and leading to lower prices.
Wool mill calls for origin labelling
Inter-Weave is the largest manufacturer of woollen fabric in the Southern Hemisphere. It produces 150,000 metres of fabric a year on looms at its Auckland mill. Audio, Gallery
Blades of Glory
Allan and Phil Oldfield are professional blade shearers from Geraldine. Shearing has taken Allan around the world in the past year. While shearing a mob of finn-cross sheep at Russell Brodie's farm at… Audio, Gallery