Editorial: Kāinga Ora decision to shun wool in state housing is baffling and must be reviewed

Kāinga Ora has asked for new carpeting while ruling out the use of wool.

Editorial

THREE KEY FACTS

• Kāinga Ora’s decision to exclude wool carpets in state houses has sparked outrage from farmers and within the wider industry.
• Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson has called the move “beyond disappointing” and a “kick in the guts”.
• The wool sector, struggling with falling prices, is seeking an official review of Kāinga Ora’s decision.

The decision made last week by Kāinga Ora to refuse to use wool carpets in state houses is as baffling as it is brazen.

The Government’s housing agency has released a request for proposals for firms to provide carpet and underlay for its properties but has specifically ruled out wool.

The “kick in the guts” for both sheep farmers and the wool industry also flies in the face of an explicit directive from up above.

Late last year, the Government said it wanted all of its agencies to favour the use of woollen fibres over artificial alternatives in Government buildings.

Kāinga Ora – which has more than 75,000 homes throughout New Zealand – says it’s used dyed nylon carpet for more than a decade, citing durability and price.

But the move to seemingly ignore that directive has been met with both exasperation and outrage.

Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson called it “beyond disappointing”.

“We’re trying to revitalise the sheep industry, the wool industry ... we’re starting to make some progress on that, but this is a kick in the guts,” Patterson said.

Federated Farmers said it was “disappointing and shortsighted”, while carpet manufacturers were left baffled, especially by the agency’s claims nylon was 34% cheaper than wool alternatives.

Both Bremworth and Wools of New Zealand say they never even got the chance to bid for the tender and would have gone to “extraordinary lengths” to make it a viable option.

Bremworth chief executive Greg Smith says nylon and wool are often comparable in price and wondered where Kāinga Ora got its numbers from.

The country’s wool sector has been struggling with meagre and falling prices in recent years.

Last year’s National-NZ First coalition agreements to direct Government agencies to use wool over artificial fibres where appropriate was seen as a real shot in the arm for the ailing industry.

But last week’s news was yet another crippling blow.

“Whatever happened to the Government commitment to back our farmers and use sustainable woollen products in Government buildings? That’s ringing pretty hollow today,” Federated Farmers meat and wool chairman Toby Williams said.

This all comes after a decision made by the Ministry of Education in July last year to use synthetic carpets manufactured by US company Milliken in nearly 800 small and rural schools.

These are hard decisions to understand when New Zealand wool is considered among the best in the world.

Wool is safer than many alternatives, less flammable, anti-allergenic and good for the environment.

And if the carpet manufacturers say they would’ve competed on price had they only been given the chance to tender, then serious questions must be asked of Kāinga Ora.

There must be an official review of the agency’s decision, because it feels like the wool is being pulled over our eyes.