New Zealand the country of contrasts on the other side of the globe. Nowhere else on earth can you find so much contrast in topography and breathtaking natural beauty. Here live the lucky sheep who produce the high quality wool.
The green pasture and general landscape of New Zealand offer outstanding conditions for farming. No wonder that this country is sometimes called the biggest farm on the globe. The sheep are exposed to extreme climatic conditions. During the summer they face temperatures above 30 degrees and during the winter months they must endure frost, snow, and freezing wind, particularly in the Southern Alps. During these seasonal changes they are protected by their wool. Breathable in summer, insulating in winter.
Virgin Merino wool is the finest and softest sheep wool. During these times of climate change a sustainable use of renewable resources become more and more important. Virgin wool is a natural product and may only be called so if it is shorn from a living sheep.
The history of the sheep farming in New Zealand goes back a long way. In the early 18th century the first sheep arrived with British settlers. Soon more animals from Great Britain and Australia joined. In 1858 there were already 1,5 million sheep in New Zealand, today there are 35 million. On both the North and South Islands of New Zealand there are prominent sheep farming areas. About half of the land – 11 million Hectares are grasslands and mainly used for farming sheep and cattle. On the South Island pasture large herds are farmed on the Canterbury Plains, in Otago and Southland, with most of the fine wool being produced from the High Country, bordering the Southern Alps. This central part of the South Island is where the big open range farms are located.