Reigniting the value of wool

As Chair of Wool Partners International, Theresa Gattung is at the forefront of a campaign to reignite the value of one of New Zealand’s oldest export commodities on the world stage. Gattung sees an opportunity “to get back in the driver’s seat and position New Zealand wool as premium brand on the world stage. Our wool is widely recognised as the best in the world but we don’t do enough to market it and believe it or not, we even sell at much lower prices than our customers are prepared to pay”. Gattung is focused on developing opportunities in the US and European markets and believes in “an industry that’s worth $1billion in export earnings with the potential to be worth twice that in five years”. Central to the challenge is repositioning the New Zealand wool brand as a premium, sustainable choice for international consumers. “We are fortunate to be at a moment in time when green and luxury can go together. This was not always the case, but it is now and wool is the perfect product to bring together the Gucci and the Hippie.”