Anderton Presents Merino Mana Awards

"We welcome and value our global partners," Agriculture Minister Jim Anderton said tonight in Queenstown as he presented the New Zealand Merino Mana Awards to Pier Luigi Loro Piana, whose legendary family firm uses the finest of New Zealand merino wool in its high end fashion suits.

The prestigious occasion was attended by representatives from some of the world's most notable media, including Italy's largest daily paper, Corriere della Sera, Harper's Bazaar and Japan's largest newspaper.

"In one sense, there is nothing new about people coming to New Zealand because of a connection to the wool we grow here," Jim Anderton said. "Since the birth of New Zealand, wool has been one of the dominant fibres in the fabric of our relations with the world.

"However," he added, "for a long time coarse wools were the staple of New Zealand's economy. It has now become much more diversified and sophisticated.

"Today, the New Zealand merino industry is thriving," Jim Anderton said. "Instead of large bales of wool and frozen carcasses of meat, our exports are as likely to be fresh greenshell mussels or chilled lamb chops, perhaps served with a side dish of olives and washed down with a Marlborough sauvignon blanc.

"Or high value strands of merino wool. The finest merino can fetch $1600 a kilogram. We have had to be innovative in the way we produce and market our primary production. Our wool has been no exception.

"I join with the industry in expressing gratitude to Loro Piana for helping us to realise the potential of this world class merino product. Before Loro Piana helped establish our brand and initiated long term grower supply contracts, our merino wool was a commodity blend, being sold undifferentiated from merino from other countries," Jim Anderton said.

"Loro Piana's involvement with merino in New Zealand is proof to us all, once again, of the value and necessity to us of our global connections.

ends

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