Taskforce to steer struggling wool industry - Agriculture Minister

12 Oct '09

2 min read

Agriculture Minister David Carter has appointed an eight-member taskforce to help steer the future direction of the wool industry. Mr Carter says a recent meeting he called of sector representatives agreed that united action was necessary to lift the state of the ailing industry and that a taskforce was the best way to achieve this.

"The role of this group will be to build a cohesive, sector-wide strategy to lift the returns for New Zealand wool. Everyone from growers and processors to brokers and exporters is looking for a common solution.

"This taskforce draws on expertise from across the wool industry," says Mr Carter.

The taskforce will be chaired by Jeff Grant, former chairman of Meat and Wool New Zealand and the New Zealand Meat Board, and a former director of Landcorp.

The other members are:

John Brakenridge, chief executive officer of the New Zealand Merino Company and a member of the Primary Growth Partnership Investment Advisory Panel;

Dr Scott Champion, chief executive officer of Meat and Wool New Zealand;

Cliff Heath, chairman of Wool Equities and New Zealand Wool Advancement Group Inc. and a director of Primary Wool Co-operative Ltd and Textiles New Zealand;

Derek Kirke, a director of New Zealand Wool Services International Ltd;

Colin McKenzie, chief operating officer of Cavalier Corporation Ltd;

Sam Robinson, chair of AgResearch and a director of AsureQuality; and

Keith Sutton, deputy chairman of the Animal Health Board and a director of Wool Partners International and Wool Grower Holdings.

A report on progress by the taskforce is due with the Agriculture Minister by the end of the year and a second wool industry meeting will be convened in early 2010.

Minister of Agriculture