The World of the Red Deer

The large, majestic Red Deer can inspire reverence and respect when you come upon one in the wild.

Red Deer were introduced from Scotland to New Zealand in the 19th century. The habitat proved to be ideal with abundant rainfall, excellent pasture and lack of predators.

In the mid 20th century, farms were created to guarantee their controlled survival while also safeguarding the surrounding ecosystem. There are an estimated 2.5 million farmed Deer in New Zealand, half the world’s population of Red Deer. On these farms, the animals are left free to graze amidst the magnificent beauty of the mountains, unspoiled rivers, vast forests and pure air. During winter snowstorms, they will curl up under a white blanket of snow. To protect them from these extreme temperatures, the Red Deer produces a soft layer of down underneath its course outer coat. This protects the animal from the cold without having to produce grease or lanolin, as is the case for sheep.

Only 20 grams of this precious down are obtained- especially from the area around the neck, back and sides, making this fibre very rare, and rare it will remain as it is impossible to have a large-scale production. The percentage of down fibre that can be used is very small, around 3%, and this called for the innovative collection system developed by Bert McGhee at Douglas Creek.

Each year, around 1000 kgs of fibre are produced to be transformed into yarns for fabric and knitwear.