Comment: My first wish for 2025 is that all the retired greyhounds, which came about through the end of greyhound racing in New Zealand, are rehomed well and become beloved family animal companions.

▶ While on the animal welfare theme, this also leads to my second wish for 2025 which is that the ban on the live export of cows, sheep, deer and goats by sea is not reversed. Wouldn’t it be interesting to put this to a referendum and see what New Zealanders say?

▶ My third wish relates to taking more seriously and treating as more valuable both in the sense of commerce and cultural taonga , the fashion industry in New Zealand. 2024 was the year in which we saw the retirement of legends Kate Sylvester and Adrienne Winkelmann.

The fashion industry is a huge employer of women and it is a significant way in which women, and some men, express the creative identity of New Zealanders which many of us enjoy every day.

I have been astonished this year through supporting the Mindful Fashion Initiative at the incredible creativity that can be unleashed for repurposing waste materials and the huge focus on sustainability with many of our leading designers.

So my wish for 2025 is that stalwarts like Liz Mitchell with her unrelenting passion for wool and Kiri Nathan with her unwavering commitment to te ao Māori in her business and her designs, alongside Juliette Hogan, Ruby and Trelise Cooper all have a great year as 2024 has been a difficult year for this industry and the world would be much poorer if one-by-one other fashion houses shut up shop.

Read the full article here: https://newsroom.co.nz/2025/01...