Wool is a miraculous natural product New Zealanders are excellent at growing.
Our country’s vast grasslands, rolling hills, high and low country, widely varied climates, and years of experience combine to form the perfect recipe for a superior wool-market soufflé: technically not that difficult; but a few hard knocks and it sinks. Can we bring it back?
It’s a question our 2019 Greater Wellington Regional Supreme Winner and Palliser Ridge’s Expansion Manager Lisa Portas is asking this year, as one of four 2025 Nuffield Scholars.
“Nuffield asks you to have an area in mind, and to hone in on it by the middle of the year. We’re purposely supposed to start quite broad so mine is loosely around how can you bring more profit to strong wool farmers, or how can strong wool farmers remain profitable,” says Lisa.
As farmers know, wool is graded by the thickness of its fibres and this depends on the breed of sheep the wool comes from. Wool is categorised as either ‘fine’, like merino; ‘medium’, like Suffolk; or ‘strong’, such as the Wairere Romney roaming Palliser Ridge.
Strong wool is heavier than merino, luxurious in its weight and, because of this comforting heaviness and warmth, often used to make knit products like blankets – although it has myriad applications, with more being researched and discovered all the time. Wool is the Superman of natural fibres, so why are growers and farmers asking the same questions over and again about its sagging popularity?
“One thing that has become really apparent to me as I’ve been talking to different people in the wool sector is that it’s tricky for people to hang on now. Our farmers and their advisors are scrutinizing their budgets, and there’s a line that sits in the red, and it’s strong wool.
“It’s difficult for people who are emotionally attached to it, who remember it so well as a kid, being in the sheds, and remember when the going was good. But that’s not enough to keep it as part of your business and pay the shearing bill.
“It should be a big concern for everyone that it’s not tipping fast enough.”
South Wairarapa’s Palliser Ridge, one of New Zealand’s many beautiful, sprawling farming stations, is walking to the beat of its own steadfast drum, setting new standards in conscientious farming.
For more than three decades, regeneration and creating areas of biodiversity that nourish the land, native wildlife and plant species has been central to activity.
The farm is GAP-rated, a certification guaranteeing the care and welfare of animals on approved farms. More recently it achieved Land to Market certification, an accreditation developed by global Savory Institute that recognises farms and businesses making significant developments in and contributions to regenerating the world’s grasslands. It was also one of New Zealand’s first Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) certified farms.
In 2019 the farming team was the Supreme Winner of the Ballance Farm Environment Awards for the Greater Wellington Region, what Lisa says was, “one of our proudest moments.”
“It was validating; the judges came in and looked at our entire business, and measured success against all the things you want to be successful in – and you wouldn’t want to let any of those things slip. That really resonated for us.”
“We spend a lot of time out in our own community and out in the industry, and we care a lot about our people and our animals, as well as about being a profitable business. So it was great to have judges who got all of it, not just one component.”
Winning the award helped Palliser Ridge better understand where to focus its efforts within its diversified portfolio of farming activities.
”Palliser Ridge has a dairy farm as well now, the sheep and beef farm, and [husband] Kurt oversees both of those. Then we have the diversified enterprise that I look after, the wool and agritourism. Palliser Ridge is also a shareholder in Interweave [an Auckland-based manufacturing weaving plant].”
The Nuffield Scholarship is something Lisa and Kurt have wanted to achieve for many years. The question was, which one of them would do it.
“Nuffield has been on our radar for a long time. We’d always thought it would be neat for one of us to do, and now felt like a good time. I was going to be offshore anyway this year with our wool exports so it made sense.”
It’s the wool that’s putting Palliser Ridge on a pedestal. When many farmers are struggling to fight a losing battle in the industry, Palliser Ridge is creating financially viable ways and channels to use wool that appeal to consumers.
“The business has to stand on its own two feet, and that’s been a non-negotiable from the get-go. The challenge is the decisions I make in any given year, knowing that it has to deliver. It’s a nice challenge for me, and one that I’m up for,” says Lisa.
Ninety percent of Lisa’s time is spent on wool, and the company sells 40 tonnes annually at various margins.
“The export side is really exciting and fascinating and the objective is always to increase that, whether by scale or by margin. We’re fortunate we’ve been able to cover the cost of shearing which affords us a bit more time to make decisions. The idea is to grow it in ways that make sense for our business and increase the bottom line.”
Locally, a collaboration with visionary Waiheke Island company Lof is producing elegant pendant lightshades, demystifying how New Zealand strong wool can be put to use in sustainable interior design. Wool’s wealth of benefits made it an easy choice for Lof founder and designer Sophie Poelman: “We see wool as an extraordinary material—not just for its warmth and beauty, but for its natural performance benefits.
“Palliser Ridge wool is a perfect fit for our lighting, reflecting the values we care about: sustainability, responsible farming, and a strong local supply chain. Working with Lisa and the team allows us to trace our wool back to the farm, ensuring every design we create is deeply connected to Aotearoa New Zealand, with a clear provenance and a fully transparent journey.”
Closer to home, Palliser Ridge hosts a monthly knitting group in the woolshed, open to everyone, using the sumptuous Palliser Ridge lamb’s wool yarn. Every aspect of the business is thoughtful, and important to the whole.
So can wool regain its superhero status and become the product of choice again for manufacturers and consumers globally?
“One of the big things I’m really keen to do through my research is to understand the question of what people will pay for,” Lisa says, of her opportunity as a Nuffield Scholar.
“It’s been a real journey for me understanding what our wool is, how different it can be in different seasons, and then what to do with each of those.”
“People love wool, but their wallets don’t get bigger because they love it. It’s a hard time out there for people.”
“But I think there’s a genuine connection for a lot of people to wool – someone had an uncle on a farm or a grandad on a farm – there’s a lot of that ‘when I was young…’ and there’s a massive group of people who do get it and do understand it and love it. You can never say it’s done.”
- Lisa and Kurt Portas were the 2019 Ballance Farm Environment Awards Regional Supreme Winners for the Greater Wellington Region.
- The Ballance Farm Environment Awards promote sustainable farming and growing across the country, and are facilitated by the New Zealand Farm Environment Trust.
