A NEW DECADE, A NEW BEGINNING IN THE HEADY DAYS OF THE EARLY 1990s, THE NEW ZEALAND CATTLE INDUSTRY HAD AS MANY STARS IN THEIR EYES FOR WAGYU AS AUSTRALIA. AND FOR MANY YEARS, THE INDUSTRY GREW AND PROSPERED. Hitting a rough patch at the start of the millennium, the New Zealand Wagyu Breeders Association went through a period of hiatus. With a new decade there is a new beginning. With the first calf born in 1991 via embryo transfer (out of Australia) and the New Zealand Wagyu Breeders Association (NZWBA) incorporated on 15 April 1992, there were 15 founding members. By October of the following year, 23 herds were registered on the Herdbook. As breed societies go, the 1990s were good for New Zealand Wagyu, with fledgling markets developing into live cattle export to Japan, herd development and a regular presence at the New Zealand National Agricultural Field Days at Hamilton for a number of years. At its height, the Association had between 50-60 members.
26
members contributed significantly to the breed, including Mike McCool, Gordon Dennis and the Collier family. Gordon has been the caretaker of the original database, while Mike still maintains one of the largest Wagyu herds in New Zealand, north of Auckland city. The Colliers, Keith as a past president in the early days (Keith passed away about 15 years ago) and now Malcom Collier as the current president have continued to breed purebred and Fullblood Wagyu in the North Island. The New Zealand Wagyu herd is in a unique position with the resurrection of the Association in that aims to be true to what a breed society aims to achieve. The most recent Guidelines for Breed Associations, from ICAR in 2019, suggests that a breed association is “usually established to promote and develop a particular breed within a species. Their mission statement will usually include development of a breeding goal, maintaining a herd book, and promotion through sales, media and events.” Today’s Association, reformed in 2014, with Paul Bilcliffe as its first president, aims to bring together
Sadly, the glint of a quick fortune, brought unscrupulous players to New Zealand and a number of Wagyu breeders were stripped of their funds, many never returned to the industry. By around the year 2000, the Association had all but disbanded.
the smaller herds within New Zealand, to further the
In 2014, a group of breeders still producing Fullblood and purebred Wagyu, felt it was time to resurrect the Association.
organisation will provide support and a network for
Throughout this period of time, a number of notable
“It’s time to get things back on track, while we still have
THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE - ISSUE 74
Fullblood and purebred national herd, and to tell their story of high marbling grass-fed Wagyu beef. “There are still a number of us who believe in the breed,” said President Malcom Collier. “The hope is that the them in a non-commercial environment so that we achieve the best for the breed.
