Photo courtesy of The Gisborne Herald

Shane Horne has been PGG Wrightson wool representative for the East Coast since 2000, having started working for the company in Gisborne in 1988.

“I went straight out of school to drive a forklift in the wool store. My father said at the time: ‘So long as that boy has an engine under his arse, he will be happy,’ which is true, I was.

“Going on the road and down farm driveways 12 years later also suited me. It is a big region and I cover between 50,000 and 80,000 kilometres per annum. Some of the more remote areas are amazing. Waikura Valley, for example, is more than 200 kilometres north of Gisborne, and a long way off the beaten track. Actually going in there and seeing it for myself for the first time was a real eye opener. It is just an incredible spot,” he says.

Shane grew up in Gisborne, with a rural connection through his grandfather who farmed in Palmerston, Otago. In his current role the friendships he makes with clients give Shane the greatest satisfaction.

“It is something you build up over the years by being honest and straight up. You reach a point where clients will leave it up to you how you achieve the best price for their wool. Ideally I tell them what I recommend and they say: ‘If you think that’s a good thing, Shane, just go for it.’

“I always encourage the farmers I work with to practice what we preach about wool. One of my clients recently said to me: ‘You’ll be happy with me, Shane, I just put woollen insulation in my roof.’ Unfortunately, when I asked him what brand, I had to tell him ‘That’s not wool, mate, that’s fibreglass.’ It is a battle trying to combat the way the producers of synthetic fibres can market their product. We need to be smart, though in the long run the trends are going in the right direction for wool,” he says.

On the other hand, land use change in Shane’s region is a concern.

“Forestry is a big challenge, taking land. With what forestry investors are prepared to pay for East Coast farms, we have seen several farmers persuaded by that kind of money. It is a shame to see productive farms planted in trees, and some good land has gone into that recently,” he says.

When he is not working, Shane’s love of the internal combustion engine keeps him busy. A member of the Gisborne American Car Club, he owns a 1970 Cadillac convertible and a 1977 Chrysler Newport Highway Patrol Car, while also rebuilding a 1930 Model A from the shell, an ongoing project.

Buying the cop car, which he found in the South Island, gave Shane a novel way to meet interesting people.

“I went down south to pick it up and drove it home. When I was in Napier filling up with gas, all these motorbikes pulled up onto the forecourt. It was the Mongrel Mob. One of the gang members came over for a look and said: ‘Cool car bro, where are you going?’ Turned out they were heading for Wairoa, so I asked them for an escort.

“Before we reached Gisborne, I was pulled over by the police. It was all friendly: the police were interested in the car, wanting all the details and taking photos. However, while we were talking, the Mob came by on their bikes, and the old boy who I’d spoken to in Napier pulled up, saying: ‘Are those friggin’ cops hassling you, bro? Do you want some back up?’

“The police weren’t hassling me, of course, and we had a good laugh.”