The Associate Agriculture Minister says it's beyond disappointing Kāinga Ora isn't putting wool carpet into new state houses.
The Crown agency has released a request for a proposal for companies to provide carpet and underlay for its state homes - but it specifically says no wool.
At the end of last year the government said it would direct government agencies to prefer the use of woollen fibres where practical and appropriate, rather than artificial fibres in government buildings.
Mark Patterson, the Associate Agriculture Minister responsible for wool, said tweaks to procurement rules were being made and he expected to make an announcement soon.
The NZ First list MP said it was frustrating government departments weren't listening.
"It's beyond disappointing. It defies clear intent of the coalition agreement which does prioritise woollen fibres and while those procurement rules haven't been updated yet the intention is clear from the government."
Kāinga Ora owns and maintains more than 75,000 homes throughout the country. Over the next two years it will add 2650 new homes and renew carpet in a further 3000 homes.
It had used dyed nylon carpet for more than a decade due to durability and price and a recent cost analysis showed nylon was 34% cheaper than wool alternatives, the agency said.
Patterson said it shouldn't all be about cost.
"It's an investment in safer healthier homes for our more vulnerable families. Wool is less flammable, it's anti-allergenic, it's good for the environment, no micro plastics and its biodegradable so there's a lot of features of wool that we need to look at.
"We need to have a more holistic approach."
'Soul-destroying'
Carpet manufacturer Wools of New Zealand said it was disappointing wool carpet was excluded from the new tender.
Chief executive John McWhirter said the company would simply like to have the opportunity to tender for the contracts.
He understood nylon carpets were probably cheaper, but said wool carpets have attributes that should be looked at.
Bremworth chief executive Greg Smith said the deliberate exclusion of wool carpet from state homes in favour of synthetic materials by Kāinga Ora set a damaging precedent.
"Kāinga Ora is New Zealand's largest landlord, owning or managing over 75,000 homes and a contract to supply this many homes would equate to over a million lineal metres of carpet and would be 'transformative' to the wool sector.
"In July 2023 Kāinga Ora stated that it was pursuing a more sustainable path for its housing. That meant looking at the fibre being used in their homes after over 600,000 meters of synthetic carpet had been laid over the previous six years.
"This volume of synthetic carpet requires importing around 1.7 million kilos of plastic for its production."
Smith said ironically, many of the Kāinga Ora homes would date from a time when wool was the only option for carpet in New Zealand.
"To suggest that for some reason decades later wool is no longer a viable option for the same purpose makes no sense.
"There is no question that we would have gone to extraordinary lengths to secure this contract. It would have represented a key turning point for the wool sector in New Zealand."
If there was some inherent bias against wool that persisted within government departments, it was important for the industry to have the opportunity to correct any lingering misconceptions, he said.
"For the wool sector to be completely left out of the conversation will be soul-destroying for many farmers."
'Another blow for farmers'
Federated Farmers said Kāinga Ora’s decision to categorically rule out the use of woollen carpets in social housing is a total slap in the face for struggling Kiwi sheep farmers.
"It’s incredibly disappointing and short-sighted for Kāinga Ora to not even consider a woollen option for these homes," meat & wool chair Toby Williams said in a statement today.
"What ever happened to the government commitment to back our farmers and use sustainable woollen products in government buildings? That’s ringing pretty hollow today.
Williams said he could not see why it would not be appropriate to use wool carpets in a state home.
"We didn’t even get a look in. Kāinga Ora weren’t interested in testing the price wool carpet providers might come up with for such a significant supply contract.
"Farmers just want a level playing field, but we were totally shut out of this process with no clear reason why."
Using cheaper plastic carpets might save "a dollar or two" in the current economic climate, he said, but there were other costs that need to be considered.
"It comes at the expense of the viability our sheep farmers and the rural communities we live in, but it also carries a huge environmental cost.
"For the government to choose a fossil fuel-derived synthetic carpet over a sustainable New Zealand-grown woollen product, just because it’s cheaper, is an absolute shocker."
It was just another blow for sheep farmers struggling to keep wool an export and domestic commodity and a viable part of their businesses, he said.
- additional reporting APL
