John MacDonald: Wool carpet is great - but not everywhere

I’m all for the push to have wool carpet used in government buildings but I think it’s a mistake putting it in state homes.  

Kāinga Ora has announced that, from next month, there will be woollen carpets in all new state homes. It’s also going to use wool if the carpet in existing homes needs replacing.  

Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says Kāinga Ora has managed to get a deal that will mean the wool carpet won’t cost any more than nylon carpet.  

Which is interesting because, in December last year, KO said it had done some cost analysis work which showed that it could save roughly 34% using nylon carpet. So the wool carpet people have obviously sharpened their pencils.  

Nevertheless, is it practical?  And my answer to that is no it’s not. And will it end up costing us in the long-term? Yes it will, and I’ll tell you why.  

But first, here’s why I generally like the government’s move to use wool carpet, but why I don't think it's a good idea in Kāinga Ora properties.  

It makes perfect sense for the Government to be doing what it can to support our farmers who grow wool, who’ve been pushing it uphill recently. Wool has almost become a burden for farmers because of the returns they’ve been getting.  

So good on the Government for going down the wool route, because it has to buy carpet, so why not buy the carpet that does the farmers a favour, while it's at it? Especially, when you consider the amount of money the Government must spend on carpet.  

I don’t have a dollar figure for you, but I was reading a briefing that was written for the incoming government after the last election, which said that the Government has approximately 1 million square metres of office accommodation around the country, costing approximately $330 million a year.  

That’s a lot of potential floorspace for carpet and that’s a lot of potential floorspace to get our farmers' wool all over.  

But here’s why I don't think it’s a good idea having wool carpet in state homes.  

Government buildings —such as government department offices and schools— generally have cleaners going through pretty much every day. And so if the DOC office or the local primary school has wool carpet, they get cleaned pretty regularly, don’t they?  

A Kāinga Ora property is different. The only time cleaners get sent into a state house is when someone leaves or is booted out.   

And this isn’t me tarring every state housing tenant with the same brush, because most tenants are probably very good. But we’d be naive to think that every tenant vacuums the carpets every day. We’d be naive to think that every state house tenant is a cleaning freak and will do everything they can to keep stains out of the carpet.  

I remember when we put wool carpet in —it was when the kids were still quite young— and we did everything we could to stop it getting marks and stains on it, but it still got stains and marks on it.  

And I’ve seen nylon carpets in action, and you can’t deny that they are brilliant for keeping clean. I’ve seen red wine spilled on nylon carpet and you can pretty much just wipe it away.  

That’s the kind of carpet that Kāinga Ora should be using.   

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald
from newstalk ZB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
You know, I'm all for the push. I'm all for
the push to have wall carpet used in government buildings,
but I think it's a mistake putting wall carpet in
state homes. Kaying Order has announced this morning. You will
have heard this that from next month there is going
to be woolen carpets in all new state houses. It's

(00:34):
also going to use wall if the carpet in existing
homes needs replacing. You might have heard Economic Growth Minister
Nikola Willis saying this morning that Kaying or Order has
managed to get a deal sounds like a good deal,
which will mean the wall carpet won't cost any more
than nylon carpet or synthetic carpet. Which is interesting actually

(00:55):
because in December last year KO said it had done
some cost analysis work and it had found out that
it would cost or found it good save roughly thirty
four using nylon carpet. But will take Nichola Willis on
her word. She's saying today quote, I'm told that the
woolen carpet manufacturers responded very strongly and that the new

(01:17):
carpet supply agreements come with no additional cost. So the
wall carpet people will have they done obviously sharpened their pencils. Nevertheless,
this is the question for me and the question for you,
despite all that, is it practical? And my answer to
that is no, it's not, and it will end up

(01:38):
costing us in the long term. It will end up
costing more. And I'll tell you why. But first, here's why.
I generally like the government's move to use wall carpet,
but why I don't think it's a good idea in
caying or properties. It makes perfect sense for the government
to be doing what it can to support our farmers
who grow wool, who, as we know, have been pushing

(02:02):
it uphill recently. You'll be aware of this wolf has
almost become a bird for farmers because of the returns
they're getting. So good on the government. Good on the
government for going down the wall route because it has
to buy carpet, So why not buy the carpet that
does the farmers a favor while it's had it, especially
when you consider the amount of money the government must

(02:23):
spend on carpet. Now, I didn't have a dollar figure
for you. But I was reading earlier a briefing that
was written for the incoming government after the last elections
of what eighteen months ago, which said that the government
has approximately one million square meters of office accommodation around
the country costing approximately three hundred and thirty million years.
That'll be rent and all costs combined. But that's a

(02:45):
lot of potential floor space for carpet, isn't it. And
it's a lot of potential floor space to get our
farmer's wall all over. So yep, tack tack tick. But
here's why I don't think it's a good idea having
wall carpet in state homes. So government buildings, do you
think of government buildings such as government department offices and schools,
They generally have cleaners going through pretty much every day,

(03:07):
don't they. And so if the dock office or the
local primary school has got the old wall carpet, then
they get cleaned pretty regularly a Kayanga order property though different.
The only time the cleaners get sent into a state
house is when someone leaves or when someone's booted out.
And look, this isn't me, this isn't me tarring every
state housing ten with the same brush, because most tenants

(03:30):
are probably very good. But we'd be naive to think
that every tenant that accums the carpets every day, wouldn't
we We'd be naive to think that every State House
tenant is a cleaning freak, and we'll do everything they
can to keep stains out of the wall carpet. I
remember when we put war carpet in. It was when
the kids were still quite young, and we did everything

(03:50):
we could to stomach getting marks and stains on it.
But it's still got guess what, still got marks and
stains on it. And I've seen nylon carpets in action,
and you cannot deny that they are brilliant when it
comes to keeping them clean. I've seen red wine spilled
on n on carpet and you can pretty much just
wipe it away. And that is the kind of carpet

(04:14):
that Kaying Orders should be using, because their properties can
get a real going over. And while you know, while
using wall carpet probably feels good and feels like the
right thing to do, it will cost us in the
long run because I see this meeting more carpet needing
to be replaced.

Speaker 1 (04:32):
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