All wool sold in New Zealand is tested at an accredited testing facility, which provides objective measurements of commercially important characteristics. This gives New Zealand wool exporters a key competitive advantage, as they can supply wool which meets buyers' specifications. Traditionally wool was sold by auction, but there has been a steady decline in the proportion of wool sold this way.
Many farmers now choose to sell wool directly to private buyers and end-users.
Farmers are keen to develop relationships with processors so they can receive information from end users and adjust their wool specifications to market requirements. There are 17 scouring plants in New Zealand. These have rapidly invested in new, locally developed technology, creating one of the most cost-effective scouring industries in the world. New Zealand now exports that technology to other wool-producing and processing countries.