Wools of New Zealand chief executive John McWhirter says a Turkish carpet manufacturer’s decision to shift from synthetics to wool represents a significant opportunity for New Zealand wool growers.

Kalida Hali has been manufacturing carpets for about 100 years, McWhirter says, supplying major hotel chains including Hiltons and Sheratons, as well as mosques across the Middle East. The company can produce at scale and at lower cost, and has made a commitment to sell more wool carpets than synthetic ones.

“It’s great when you’ve got manufacturers investing in growing the demand for wool or growing wool products because that actually changes the industry rather than just competing with each other over the same territory,” says McWhirter.

The shift is not government-mandated, he says. Kalida Hali have chosen to move toward wool, investing in refurbished wool production equipment — some of it sourced secondhand from New Zealand.

Wools of New Zealand is building direct, long-term supply contracts between New Zealand farmers and international customers, McWhirter says.

“What the customers want is certainty of supply and certainty of control around volume.”

He says the quality of New Zealand wool is the underlying drawcard.

“White wool, clean wool, consistent wool. You can’t make it with a lot of the wool produced around the rest of the world.”

McWhirter says there is a place for an industry body, with the recent proposal to reintroduce a wool levy put to the Primary Production Select Committee.

“You can waste a lot of money if it’s not well-defined and made very clear.”

He says Wools of New Zealand has spoken with Beef + Lamb New Zealand about its model. He says there are things an industry body can do that individual companies cannot, including opening trade borders and managing industry-wide issues.

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