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Peter Moroney
21 January 2022
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Wool Street Journal: Staff profile Peter Moroney

Staying on top of the woolstore data.

Peter Moroney started at the PGG Wrightson Napier woolstore in 1984. Hawke’s Bay born and bred, he went to England for an 18 month OE after leaving school, then cleaned windows in Wellington for 10 years.

“I was swinging out over the side of buildings 18 storeys up above The Terrace. I thought nothing of it at the time, though the safety standards slipped and I was not comfortable taking that sort of risk, so I gave up the work. I came back to Napier looking for a summer job, and have been in the woolstore ever since,” he says.

Initially, Peter was a labourer.

“I was on a barrow with a hook. We only had one forklift at that stage, and we had to account for and sort every bale and fadge of wool that came through the door, so most of the work was done by hand. I was a general dogsbody.”

In 2007 the data inputting role came up and Peter took it on.

“It is my job to enter all the details into the system, making sure all the wool we receive goes all the way through where it’s supposed to. Farmers have so many different options for selling, including through the auction, on a contract or direct to a manufacturer, and that needs to be specified right up front so we can track it. Sometimes documentation arriving with the wool is incomplete. When that happens we have to check back and make sure it is all recorded correctly.”

Peter started at the store in the era before computers.

“I was on my barrow back then and didn’t take too much notice of this. However, everything was recorded manually, which made for a mountain of paperwork. For all their faults, computers have some big pluses,” he says.

During the peak of the season, the store is busy, though those periods give Peter the most satisfaction.

“Doing a full day’s work at the busiest time, going flat out is tiring. At the end of a day like that, even though you are worn out, knowing everything has been done correctly and everything matches up as it should is rewarding.

“When I first started that peak time ran from late October to mid-January. Since then, shearing patterns have spread out and sheep numbers have decreased, so now we have smaller peaks through the year, and a more steady pace.”

Peter reckons the store is a positive place.

“It is a good bunch of people, and we know each other well. We are a good team and get the job done. I’m one of a few who have been here a long time now, so we know each other’s ins and outs. We have a lot of fun, and a bit of good-natured ribbing at morning tea and lunchtimes,” he says.

Peter’s main message to growers consigning their wool is to ensure the documentation is correct.

“It needs to arrive with the wool. When we take it off the truck, so long as the information is clear and complete, that eases the speed of it through the system. Sometimes the wool comes in and the documentation is missing or incomplete, which is when we need to contact the rep, and sometimes the farmer, to put it right.

“Correct documentation enhances the chances of ensuring the wool is processed and sold as fast as possible. It really is worth making sure that is correct when the wool leaves the farm,” he says.

Outside work Peter enjoys reading, riding his bike and cooking. He’s also learning the guitar, or at least re-learning since he played when younger, though let it slip and is now picking it up again.

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