Tuesday, 29 August 2023 08:55

Schools bag carpet plan

Written by  David Anderson
Bremworth chief executive Greg Smith says using synthetic carpet fibre flies in the face of the Government’s commitment to sustainability. Bremworth chief executive Greg Smith says using synthetic carpet fibre flies in the face of the Government’s commitment to sustainability.

Rural schools around NZ are backing a new initiative to help them install wool carpet.

The move follows controversial plans by the Ministry of Education to fit almost $8 million worth of nylon carpet in up to 760 small or rural schools around the country.

NZ carpet company Bremworth will offer a subsidy of at least 30% on the cost of the wool carpet for each school. For a school needing 400sqm of carpet, this would equate to more than $10,000.

The company is also calling on the Government to provide a cash alternative to the synthetic carpet, to further help schools access wool without needing to fundraise.

Meanwhile, some rural school principals are refusing the Ministry of Education offer to install the synthetic carpet at no cost to the schools.

“We are told to teach the kids about sustainability, yet the Government isn’t actually practising what they preach,” says Cheryl Barbara, principal of Rotherham School in North Canterbury.

She says the offer to provide synthetic carpet is inconsistent with the sustainability doctrine the Government wants taught to students and is insulting to the rural sector.

“As a principal of a rural school, I can tell you that it goes against our rural values and is highly offensive to our wider farming community, which has been struggling over the past few years.”

Barbara says rural schools are about supporting their local community.

“I don’t think there would be any rural school in New Zealand that would want to be using plastic carpet, to be honest.”

She says it is heart-warming to see a local company like Bremworth offering to do what they can to help get wool back into schools.

Under the programme, schools that are due to replace their existing flooring can apply to carpet manufacturer Bremworth for a product subsidy equivalent to at least 30% of their flooring needs to help make wool carpet more accessible to New Zealand schools.

Bremworth chief executive Greg Smith says the decision to use synthetic carpet fibre flies in the face of the Government’s commitment to reduce the amount of plastic in our lives.

“Bremworth is doing what it can to help small Kiwi schools like Cheryl’s access New Zealand wool – a high-performing renewable and biodegradable fibre.”

Smith adds that the Ministry needs to amend its current offer to allow schools to take the cash equivalent for the plastic tiles, which they can then put towards wool carpet.

He says any schools wanting to apply for a product subsidy can contact the company: https://bremworth.co.nz/pages/wool-in-education-initiative

More like this

Carpet maker Bremworth set for 'sustained growth'

Wool carpet and rug manufacturer Bremworth says it’s emerging from a period of significant transformation, rebuilding from damage caused by Cyclone Gabrielle and moving away from synthetics to the production of wool carpets and rugs.

Bremworth opens retail store

In what is believed to be an industry first, wool carpet manufacturer Bremworth will open a retail store in Auckland.

Featured

Massey Research Field Day attracts huge interest

More than 200 people turned out on Thursday, November 21 to see what progress has been made on one of NZ's biggest and most comprehensive agriculture research programmes on regenerative agriculture.

Expo set to wow again

Stellar speakers, top-notch trade sites, innovation, technology and connections are all on offer at the 2025 East Coast Farming Expo being once again hosted in Wairoa in February.

A year of global challenges

As a guest of the Italian Trade Association, Rural News Group Machinery Editor Mark Daniel took the opportunity to make an early November dash to Bologna to the 46th EIMA exhibition.

Boost for hort exports

The horticulture sector is a big winner from recent free trade deals sealed with the Gulf states, says Associate Agriculture Minister Nicola Grigg.

National

Winter grazing warning

Every time people from overseas see photographs of cows up to their hocks in mud it's bad for New Zealand.

ANZ defends farm lending rates

The country's largest lender to the agriculture sector says it's not favouring home loans over farm and business lending.

Machinery & Products

Expo set to wow again

Stellar speakers, top-notch trade sites, innovation, technology and connections are all on offer at the 2025 East Coast Farming Expo…

A year of global challenges

As a guest of the Italian Trade Association, Rural News Group Machinery Editor Mark Daniel took the opportunity to make…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Review SOEs!

OPINION: NIWA has long weathered complaints about alleged stifling of competition in forecasting, and more recently, claims of lack of…

Bank reset

OPINION: Adding to calls to get banks to 'back off', NZ Agri Brokers director Andrew Laming has revealed that the…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter