Back in 2020 Catlins sheep farmer Amy Blaikie, who was obviously self-interested but who was also acting from altruism, launched a petition which called on the House of Representatives to ensure all publicly funded buildings and KiwiBuild homes were built or refurbished with New Zealand wool carpet.
Her rationale was simple: "wool’s great". Blaikie became something of a fleece evangelist, pushing the health and economic benefits of putting down New Zealand-grown shagpile on the floor rather than using imported synthetic carpet square.
The response from the then government was supportive, saying it was "committed to backing our wool sector to succeed" but not going so far as to back a change in government procurement practices.
The issue did not go away though, and was given fresh impetus by coverage in the Otago Daily Times, specifically the plight of Pūrākanui Primary School, which had attempted to put a new wool carpet down in a classroom and been stymied by Ministry of Education procurement rules: it had awarded a US nylon carpet manufacturing firm the school’s flooring tender.
Pūrākanui Primary School had a slightly different beef with the rules than Ms Blaikie — as an Enviro School its board felt that using synthetic floor coverings ran counter to its having signed up to use ecological building materials.
But held in common was the belief that wool was best and that the choice to use it should be an available option.
New Zealand First was a willing passenger on the wool bandwagon. Its then former and now current Taieri list MP Mark Patterson — a sheep farmer himself — was instrumental in getting a policy to use wool in government buildings into his party’s 2023 election manifesto.
Once in government, the National-NZF coalition agreement contained a clause that directed government agencies, where practical and appropriate, to preference the use of woollen fibres rather than artificial fibres in government buildings.
This week the government announced the implementation of that clause, effective from July 1: a delighted Mr Patterson took the opportunity, in Telethon style, for the private sector to match or better the government’s contribution to the sector. Ms Blaikie and Pūrākanui Primary School can also take a bow.
Sadly for Mr Patterson though, he did not get to take a lap of honour in the House, Andy Foster having nabbed NZF’s slot in the weekly General Debate.
That joy instead fell to Waitaki MP Miles Anderson, a former sheep farmer himself who knows — having had to destock his farm — just how tough things have been in the sector in recent years.
"Taking into account the whole-of-life cost, compliance with New Zealand standards, technical and functional requirements, supply and sustainability and wellbeing, on that basis, we know that wool wins hands down," Mr Anderson exalted.
"It is not only the people in these buildings that will benefit from this amazing natural product. It will be our sheep farmers, our shearers, our rural supply stores and support services, our wool brokers, and our manufacturers. Their families will benefit and so will our rural communities."
Quite apart from being great on floors, wool, was also an excellent material for insulation, was a natural, non-allergenic material that could improve indoor air quality, and being naturally flame resistant reduced the risk of fire hazards, he continued.
"By choosing wool, we are making a conscious decision to embrace a material that is not only deeply rooted in our heritage but also aligned with the principles of sustainability, health and safety. So let’s work together to ensure that wool continues to thrive, benefiting generations to come."
And with a shout out to his family watching on from the public gallery that was that from Mr Anderson ... but it was not his final contribution for the week.
The following day he got to ask Question 11, to the associate Minister of Transport, asking what recent announcements he had made about the Ashburton Bridge? In fact, he got to ask it twice, thanks to Speaker Gerry Brownlee’s insistence that questions are heard in silence.
Of course, the answer was no mystery to Mr Anderson, who was well aware James Meager had signed a partnership agreement with Ashburton District Council the previous week to build the bridge.
To increasing cheers from the government benches Mr Anderson further asked what benefits the bridge would bring, and if it aided the government’s pro-growth agenda. (Spoiler alert: quite a lot, seemingly).
Having then given Mr Meager the chance to run through a list of roads of national significance, Mr Anderson could then sit down with his week’s work well done.
The elephant not in the room
Eager watchers of the health annual review debate (and surely there were many) may have wondered why Health Minister Simeon Brown was not quizzed on the single most expensive health infrastructure project in New Zealand history, the new Dunedin hospital. Given the tumbleweeds currently blowing around on the site, surely it was worth a question or two?
Sadly not, the Opposition parties having many other health sector issues to prosecute Mr Brown on and less than half an hour to do so.
Bon voyage
Southern Say will cast an eye over the career of David Parker at a later date, but for now let it be noted that the former MP for Otago this week announced his imminent retirement from Parliament
While the South has not been his permanent home for some years, Roxburgh-born and Dunedin-raised Mr Parker has always been willing and able to give an extensive discourse on the history and importance of Otago at the drop of a hat. His valedictory speech will be given on May 7.
