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The Merino was the first sheep in New Zealand. Captain Cook landed four Merinos in 1773. However,
they did not survive and 60 years elapsed before James Wright re-introduced the breed to Mana Island
near Wellington in 1834.
The Merino remained the dominant breed until the turn of the 20th century when numbers reached 14
million. But since then the Merino’s influence on the sheep industry has diminished. It was replaced
on lowlands and in wetter North Island districts by the Lincoln and the English
Leicester. With the advent of refrigeration, New Zealand farmers wanted a dual-purpose animal and
turned away from the slow-maturing specialist wool breed. But it still has a vital place in the rugged
South Island high country, where it is the only breed to survive on the high altitude pastures of native
grass.
The Merino is the oldest established and most numerous breed in the world and is believed to originate
from Spain or North Africa.
The fineness of Merino wool stems from and unusually high number of wool fibres — about 50 million
compared with 15 million in the Romney. Merino wool is highly regarded for quality woollen and worsted
fabrics.
Recent developments include a polled Merino and a high fertility Booroolla strain being used increasingly
to lift fertility of other breeds.
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Classification:
Specialist fine-wool breed.
Found:
Mountainous high country of the South Island.
Description:
Fine-boned active sheep with white face and legs. Pink nose. All
rams and some ewes are horned.
Numbers:
2.3 million
Body weight:
35–45 kg
Wool production:
Fibre diameter 19–24 microns
Staple length 65–100
mm
Fleece weight 3.5–5 kg
Lamb production:
75–100 per cent
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