NZ Wire

Kiwi to the core

For a brand born out of necessity - NZ Wire has certainly made its mark.

Along the way - as well as rescuing New Zealand's building and agriculture sectors from the prevailing post World War Two wire shortages of the time, it has also been at the forefront of every major advance to impact on our wire industry during the last 50 years.

Starting with the building of this country's first and only wire drawing and galvanizing operation.

Formed in 1963 by a business consortium led by Fletcher Challenge, in association with British based wire mill, GKN, the NZ Wire brand was first established, and right from the very beginning, the commitment to technology and quality, which are still the hallmarks of the brand today, were never compromised.

So as well as investing in the most modern manufacturing technologies available at that time, the company also launched an international recruiting drive for people with the wire and steel manufacturing experience to help turn this vision into reality.

As a result, from its very first day of operation, the NZ Wire has been an internationally respected brand with a list of achievements that other wires find almost impossible to match.

For starters, NZ Wire was involved with the DSIR, NZ Rail, MAF, NZ Agriculture Engineering Instute and others that help draft NZS 143: 1968, this country's first standard for galvanised and barbed wire - which was also the forerunner of the current NZS 3471: 1974. This later standard, which was based on the British standard but incorporated additional testing criteria, specifies tensile strength, and tolerences for malleability, elongation, coat weight, coating adhesion, coating consistency and thickness, is arguably the world's most most stringent standard. It is also one that few other wires fully comply with.

NZ Wire also pioneered the use of 2.5mm high tensile galvanised wire - an advance that which led to the demise of the iconic Number 8 variety. Although famously versatile, Number 8 (4 mm) was a soft wire and prone to stretch which resulted in sagging fences. The new 2.5mm, despite being a thinner gauge, was stronger, with more elasticity, making it lighter, easier to use and cost effective.

The New Zealand farmer quickly adopted the 2.5mm high tensile wire which better suited the rural industry's move into more intensive farming practices.

At the same time, because of the international recognition gained through its high tensile wire range NZ Wire became a significant exporter to UK, Europe, Canada, United State, Australia, Asia and South America.

The introduction of long life wire technology to New Zealanders via the launch of Alubond during the early 1980's was also a significant NZ Wire initiative. Developed for electrification of railway Lines, this revolutionary aluminium coated product provided high levels of resistance to corrosion. It was also provided extra conductivity when used for electric fencing. The current NZ Wire range includes HiSpan 2 Life and HiSpan 4 life - which respectively deliver 2 and 4 times the life of standard galvanised wire.

The 1990's saw NZ Wire leading the way with the introduction of its HiSpan V range which used Vanadium to assist wire malleability which increases handling preformance. Vanadium continues to be used in NZ Wire HiSpan range for this purpose.

NZ Wire was also the driving force behind important industry based education initiatives such as the Master Fencer programme and Golden Pliers which have collectively helped generate a major lift in overall skills and standards.

So given its heritage, the outstanding achievements, the contribution that it makes to both New Zealand industry and our vital export markets - as well as being a 100% kiwi made product - you can see why NZ Wire is proud to be called - Kiwi to the core.