Wow, wool you look at that

Cavalier Woolscourers Ltd chief executive Nigel Hales talks to Segard Masurel's guests from around the North Island

Wool company Segard Masurel took the opportunity to mix a bit of end of year festivity in Napier with an insight into what happens after the fleece leaves the woolshed.

About 150 clients from around the North Island gathered last month, visiting Hawke's Bay Woolscourers at Awatoto and the Hawke's Bay Wool Auction Centre.

Area representative Scott McLeod said many hadn't seen wool going through the processes and the open day gave them a good opportunity before heading into the busy harvesting season of December and January.

"All this first stage processing happens in Napier," he said.

Segard Masurel is a huge part of it, as the second largest exporter of wool in New Zealand, dispatching about a quarter of the nationwide woolclip.

A display highlighting items used in the process of harvesting wool included some which should not.

The season is hitting some of its peaks, with up to 25,000 bales expected to be offered between the two back to back weekly North Island sales at the New Zealand Wool Testing Authority headquarters in Ahuriri today and next Thursday.

At the last North Island sale on November 26 about 6500 bales were offered, but a sale scheduled for last week was cancelled because of the weather-affected shearing, although the sale in the South Island went ahead.

From arrival to clean, the wool at Hawke's Bay Woolscourers.

There were about 6500 bales in the last Napier sale and about 97.5 per cent sold. Fine crossbred fleece were up to 1.5 per cent dearer with the stronger end buyer's favour. Fine crossbred shears 3-5 inches and 3-4 inches were firm to 2.5 per cent cheaper with the shorter lengths firm to 2 per cent dearer. Coarse crossbred full fleece were 1.5 per cent cheaper with coarse shears firm to 2 per cent dearer.

Stansborough greasy wool and Stansborough scoured wool, one of the displays set-up for the visitors.

At the South Island sale last week, fine crossbred full fleece 32 and 33 microns were up to 5 per cent cheaper than the November 26 South Island sale, with 34 and 35 microns 1 per cent dearer. Fine crossbred shears were firm to 2.5 per cent cheaper.

Coarse crossbred full fleece 36 microns and coarser were firm to 1 per cent firmer.

Raw wool grease removed in the scouring process.

-Along for the tour of the woolscourers was Hawke's Bay Today photographer Duncan Brown.