Photo: NZ Merino Company
Producers of local building materials want the government to consider them in the construction of government buildings, as will be done with wool.
The wool sector was feeling buoyant by the decision this week for woollen products to be used in the construction or refurbishment of government buildings, where practical and appropriate.
Waitomo farmer and industry leader Janette Osborne said it had created a buzz throughout King Country, billed as the shearing capital of the world.
Osborne said progress on the issue was a long time coming, as previous working groups had struggled to get traction with MPs on it.
"We have a lot of people employed in and associated with the wool industry. We've got a lot of shearers, and we're really proud of our wool."
Photo: Cosmo Kentish-Barnes
She said she hoped any extra money in the sector would trickle down through the region's economy.
But other sectors wanted similar commitments from the government to use their products in construction.
Chief executive of Wood Processors and Manufacturers Mark Ross said the industry had talked to government for years about including wood products in its builds, and will continue to.
"We're really pleased for wool products, this is an excellent outcome for them. But we're highly disappointed that this procurement policy hasn't been extended to wood products, such as timber and engineered wood products," Ross said.
Products included cross-laminated timber and glulam made from New Zealand timber, which could provide "a real boost' for the industry with more government tenders.
Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
"The wood products that we are talking about are not only renewable but have economic and environmental advantages when it comes to carbon storage and supporting our rural communities."
Jo Say of the Hemp Building Association agreed that the decision was positive for the wool sector.
But she said more construction projects could benefit from the environmental, sustainable and carbon-sucking hempcrete.
Hempcrete is made from hemp hurd, the woody fibre inside an industrial hemp plant stem, and has a high R-value which indicates good insulation performance.
"Constructing a house from hempcrete allows for and creates a very stable internal temperature because of its high R-value and its great thermal mass. Those two together produce this very, very comfortable internal temperature," she said.
A close-up of the material which makes up hempcrete. Photo: RNZ/Sally Round
Say said the industrial hemp plant was a great carbon sequester, and the processed hempcrete product had carbon-sucking abilities too.
"When it's made into hempcrete, it's actually sequestering or sucking carbon out of the atmosphere, so every hempcrete house is actually a carbon sink."
She said the damp and mouldy homes crisis New Zealand faced meant it was time to transition to healthier, environmentally friendly materials.
"Hempcrete has this hydroscopic capacity, which means that it's got a self-regulating moisture capacity, so mould and condensation are pretty much not even possible."
The directive for government agencies covers the use of woollen products in elements of construction or refurbishments like flooring, insulation, acoustic panels and furnishings.
It would apply to government-owned buildings with new construction works valued at $9 million at most, and $100,000 at most for refurbishments.
Associate Agriculture Minister and Minister for Rural Communities Mark Patterson said this week wool was a natural product that was less toxic and more naturally fire-retardant than synthetic or petroleum-based alternatives used in construction.
The procurement guide said the supply would need to be available, meet project requirements and delivery timelines.
The government is also reviewing its procurement rules in efforts to remove red tape.
New Zealand produces about 120,000 tonnes of wool each year, most of which is strong wool.
Exports from New Zealand wool, carpets and other manufactured wool products earned $549m last year.
The largest export markets for New Zealand wool and woollen products were China (earning $77m), India ($66m) and Australia ($81m).
