Introducing Palliser Ridge
Posted by Team NZNC on 3rd Apr 2019
We are excited to let you know about our latest project. Working alongside Palliser Ridge, our goal is to produce a line of garments and accessories where we know the story behind each piece of natural clothing, from the farm to the customer's bag.
The genesis of this lofty idea came about when we were contacted by Lisa and Kurt Portas of Palliser Ridge. Lisa and Kurt had been having some of the farm's 7 tonnes of first-clip Romney lambswool spun and dyed and were running knitting/dyeing and crochet gatherings from their fabulous location in the main woolshed.
Aside from the skills the budding knitters learnt and shared with their peers, they were excited about working with truly natural materials at the source. They got in touch with us because they valued our dedication to natural New Zealand-made clothing and felt some of our customers would love the chance to work with the Palliser Ridge wool themselves.
Not long after, spun and dyed Romney wool from Palliser Ridge could be found online through us and in our Norsewood and Ōtaki stores. Palliser Ridge yarn has proven to be most popular in the large 1 kg cones. Passionate knitters like Julie (NZNC Company Director) need a lot of yarn.
Soon enough, Julie had switched her in-car production from a lovely alpaca yarn to making headbands, glovelets, a children's poncho, baby blankets and more.
But one further step was possible. Not everyone is a knitter, and you shouldn’t have to be in order to enjoy the fabulous organic wool Palliser Ridge produces. We wondered why we couldn't have a jersey where the wearer knows the flock of sheep their wool comes from, what they eat and even what their view is like! (As you can see below, it is a fine view indeed!)
The simple answer is that there is no good reason why we can’t – and so we will!
There is a little more to the story too. Julie and Phil worked for Norsewear and bought the seven operating shops and the factory buildings at Norsewood in 2007. Luckily, the responsibility of taking over the business included the archive of Norsewear jerseys from when Norsewear began in the 1960s.
Their 15 years in the industry have included plenty of looking at samples and catalogues from the 1960s to the 2000s. Reinforced by the feedback of classic jersey loyalists, it is hard not to see that those jerseys were seen as special. In fact, you can see many of the classic styles on gentlemen in Dannevirke and around New Zealand!
With this knowledge in mind, the combination of a classic jersey style with the Palliser wool of the Wairarapa simply fell into place. The basic knit structure of the vintage Guernsey style was chosen as our design starting point.
After the creation of two samples and a bit of tinkering, the machines are at work producing the first 100 Palliser jerseys. The "Palliser" is to be launched and released at the South Island Agricultural Field Days in Canterbury, 27–29 March.
Before we tell you more about the Palliser jersey and accessory range, let us tell you a bit more about the people and place that make up Palliser Ridge. If you're too impatient and need to hear about the clothes right away, here is a shortcut to part 2 of the blog.
Introducing Palliser Ridge
Tourism
A pleasant 10-minute drive up a farm road from the Lake Ferry Hotel and you’ll find yourselves in a true New Zealand treasure. The crew at Palliser Ridge know they live and work in a special place. What’s more, they love sharing it with people.
In January 2019, we had the chance to enjoy the comforts of the tourism side of Palliser Ridge ourselves. Julie and I headed down to Palliser for what has to be one of the most relaxing and enjoyable business liaisons we’ve had in a long time.
If you have a plan to stay at Palliser, I would highly recommend the 3–4-hour tour of the farm. It is worth it for the views alone. Luckily, the tour offers a wealth of insights into the history of the land and the farming techniques they use.
Speaking of views, we had the pleasure of putting our feet up in the first of the Palliser Ridge accommodation options – the Kaikōura Lookout.
It is a modern one-bedroom cottage built with macrocarpa timber that was grown on the farm (you’re probably starting to get an idea about why we are so excited by the homegrown vision of this lot). The cottage is complete with a gas fire and wood fire, comfortably styled décor, and even a hot tub.
It was the perfect place to watch the evening lights dance, with the finale being the sun setting behind the Kaikoura Ranges. We had amazing weather for our visit, but the comfort of the cottage combined with the rugged beauty of the landscape mean I would visit that idyllic spot all year round.
Go and stay a couple of nights. Take your surf caster or your walking shoes and explore the coast of South Wairarapa.
My last little tip is to try the fish-and-chip dinner at the Lake Ferry Hotel.
Kaikoura Lookout – Palliser Ridge
Growing the Wool
The amazing thing about the wool from Palliser Ridge is the care and science that goes into looking after the sheep. You are what you eat, and in some kind of roundabout way, we wear what they eat.
Beyond the obvious desire to look after stock, healthy sheep also mean higher-quality wool. Kurt ran us through the fodder that makes up the sheep's diet. The fodder selection is crafted to balance the health of the stock while also ensuring the long-term fertility of the land.
So What's on the Menu?
Three of the regulars on the menu are chicory, yarrow and couch. Chicory is a crop that has good protein in it for the stock and is good for the land. Chicory has a 400–500 mm taproot. This size means it breaks up the soil and increases the mineral content in the soil around it.
Yarrow is used because it is tolerant of the dry, windswept conditions of a Palliser Ridge summer. Interestingly, Kurt told us that many people think of it as a weed, but it, in fact, has a higher content of minerals than some perennial grasses.
Another tough grass well suited to the conditions is couch. Couch is a tough, fibrous grass that you might have seen alongside highways. It is a long, dry grass that grows quickly, so the stock can benefit from its nutritional and fibre content many times a year.
Rounding out the sheep’s menu at Palliser Ridge is a selection of other herbs and grasses, including red and white clover, leguminous plants such as common rye, and other seasonal grasses. A rather elaborate side salad, if you will.
While we are on the topic of fine menus, keep an eye out for free-range Palliser Ridge lamb in cafés and restaurants around the Wellington–Wairarapa region.
Over time, Palliser Ridge are building a full human menu too. Beekeeping is another art practised on the farm, with honey available in a range of stores – including our New Zealand Natural Clothing shop in Norsewood. Honey-sesame lamb ribs, anyone?
Moving on to things neither we nor the sheep want to eat, Kurt told us about the introduction of dung beetles onto the farm. The purpose is to balance the impact of livestock on the land by aerating the soil, improving the nutrient cycle and increasing water absorption.
The Greater Wellington Regional Council has been actively promoting the introduction of dung beetles because of the benefits to regional water quality and improved pasture yields for farmers.
The result - A farm to bag woolen clothing range
All this means that when we leave Palliser Ridge, we know the sheep are well-fed and ethically raised. The next stage is to turn their wool into something warm and wearable. Our vision is to create a range of clothing that allows customers to know the flock of sheep their wool comes from and wear it in comfort, knowing that every part of the production process has happened right here in little old New Zealand.
Introducing the "Palliser" – a vintage New Zealand jersey for a modern world.
Having taken the Palliser Ridge wool and worked our magic, we brought the first jersey back to Kurt. Luckily, the sample jersey was made in Kurt’s size, and we reckon he models it well!
But this was just the sample – simply the beginning.
Continue to the story of the whole New Zealand Natural Clothing Palliser Range by clicking here.