Marketing opportunities like the rugby world cup in New Zealand should be grasped with both hands by our agricultural products.
Clothing associated with this event should be made of wool or at the very least a wool blend so it's qualities can be promoted world wide.
The exposure of such an event releases a huge amount of free advertising that our small agricultural industries could not afford and must be taken advantage of.
The beleaguered wool industry is lobbying government and the New Zealand Rugby Union to have All Black supporters' gear made of wool rather than man-made fibres. Official All Blacks' merchandise such as beanies and scarves, produced for the NZRU under licence by Adidas, are made of synthetics. With the Rugby World Cup approaching, Federated Farmers, wool exporters and wool clothing manufacturers have launched a campaign to get at least some of the merchandise made from natural, homegrown fibre reports The NZ Herald.
This week, the group wrote to NZRU chief executive Steve Tew, Prime Minister John Key and Agriculture Minister David Carter, offering to make additional woollen All Blacks gear. Federated Farmers meat and fibre chairman Bruce Wills said the wool industry had been through hard times and simple moves such as this made a difference. "We're known for our wool and rugby and we are not matching up the two."
Wayne Russell, general manager of the Kiwi Sock Company in Norsewood, said there was plenty of capacity in the apparel industry to manufacture wool merchandise. The NZRU has argued that wool items would be too costly. Russell said the products would be more expensive than those made out of synthetics but he believed some fans would pay extra. "If you've come to see the Rugby World Cup from Europe I think you'd be looking for some quality souvenirs if you've spent all that money."
The campaign is backed by sheep farmer and former All Black Richard Loe, who said the Government had poured a lot of money into the Rugby World Cup and initiatives to help the primary industries, such as the Wool Taskforce set up by Carter. "Yet no one's thought of bringing the two together for mutual benefit," he said.
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