'It's the most sustainable fibre in the world'

"It's the most renewable, sustainable fibre in the world. And we need to be applauding that."

These words on wool come from Anne Rogers, the first female president of the Canterbury A&P Association. 

She talked with Country Life as Christchurch hosted the 160th New Zealand Agricultural Show, the largest A&P show in Aotearoa.

Rogers has been instrumental in establishing a "wool zone" at the show saying she has floated the idea for three or four years.

This year is the inaugural year for the feature. 

"We need to be able to educate people into all the ways that they can use wool in their lives from wool mats for weed prevention, to insulation, cosmetics, and shoes. 

"There's somebody that's making a plastic alternative handle for knives, beautiful band-aids, and dressing material. 

"There's just so many ways we can use wool and support our economy," Rogers explains.

The wool zone saw all elements of wool come to the Lister Stadium and Livestock Pavillion including the show's shearing and woolhandling chairperson James Dwyer.

Dwyer hosted a woolhandling competition which saw 900 hoggets come to town for two days of competition. 

From there, current New Zealand team members, and those vying to make the team competed. It's part of a circuit of points that accumulate throughout the season. 

While the event takes a lot of effort and time to pull off, Dwyer says when the public thinks it looks easy that's when they know they have done a good job. 

"It's the most amount of work, but we just want people to see what a great industry it is, and the product that we're taking off the sheep for the farmers.

"We just can't do enough to try and promote it. And it's just the chance to be able to bring what we do into the city for the people to see. It's just amazing."

Dwyer says those attending the show aren't always from a rural background and showcasing wool and how it is shorn helps to bridge the urban-rural divide.

"We're really fighting against a stigma that wool is a negative product, that it is bad.

"And [people are] even perpetrating the myth that an animal has to be killed for its wool to be removed, which is just a complete fabrication because it's the most sustainable product we can imagine. 

"We give them a haircut every six for 12 months, they grow it again and you've got a great product to work with."

On the other side of the busy pavilion, several rows of crossbred sheep are on display.

Leaning over one of the sheep pens is a farmer and veteran Corriedale Breeder from North Canterbury, David 'Doc' Sidey.

Sidey shares it's the 205th day he has been to the show in his life - the first being in 1954.

"I'm genetically bought up to [loving sheep]. I'm three-quarter Scotch.

"My great grandfather was in boots and all and had a bit to do with founding the Corriedale breed and we followed that kind of tradition," Sidey says.

Sidey hopes more people come into the industry as in his years he has seen a dramatic decrease. 

While looking at the Ram hogget display, Sidey makes a note that it's a breed display over an exhibitor display.

"Because we want to show the public what we've got between five different exhibitors, which is our lowest ever in my lifetime. 

"I've been to the show when there was 359 Corriedale's here in 1959. Now we've got 50.

"And that's a fall off of showing sheep and not many young people coming through the system that are keen on all the time and effort."

Sidey maintains he must be a traditionalist, although he likes the people part of showing sheep, regardless of the breed.