Stalwarts of local fashion and textiles visited the Beehive for a landmark address. How will the Government respond?
New Zealand fashion leaders are calling for increased Government support, citing the potential of an industry that added $7.8 billion to the economy in 2023.
Hogan, who spoke as chairwoman of the MFNZ board, told Viva the event was an unmissable opportunity “to be able to inform those ministers and MPs across the parties about the importance of our industries”.
FitzGerald, speaking on behalf of MFNZ, a collective founded in 2019 and now made up of more than 120 NZ businesses within the fashion, clothing and textile industries, highlighted contributions to both the economy and cultural fabric of Aotearoa.
She calls fashion and textiles a “quiet economic powerhouse”. In 2023, the industries accounted for 1.9% of GDP. That figure surpasses building construction, she says.
“We employ 76,000 people, pay $4.4 billion in wages, and are home to globally renowned quality, creative and fibre innovation, yet remarkably the fashion and textile industry has historically been overlooked for the value it brings to the economy.”
The address was delivered to MPs including Labour’s Camilla Belich and National’s Nicola Willis (Finance Minister) and Todd McClay (Trade and Investment Minister).
FitzGerald and Hogan also met privately with Willis and McClay earlier in the day. They discussed how MFNZ’s vision for a thriving local industry might overlap with the Government’s aim to double exports by 2034.
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Advertise with NZME.“Minister Willis is highly engaged and really interested in what our industry contributes both economically and culturally. I do believe we have an advocate in her going forward,” Hogan says.
“Minister McClay was again equally interested from that trade perspective of how we could grow the industry internationally.”
McClay told Viva he sees strong potential in the fashion and textiles sector.
“We have some of the world’s leading sustainable brands and produce some of the best fibre in the world. Consumers are wanting products that are sustainable, transparent and ethical, and Kiwi businesses are well placed to exceed in this space.”
In response to whether a partnership with MFNZ is on the Government’s agenda, McClay says it is “always” looking for new opportunities within the sector.
“Juliette and I have agreed to explore targeted trade missions for the New Zealand fashion industry to help drive up awareness and trade for this exceptional sector.”
Belich’s interest in hosting MFNZ in Parliament came after engaging directly with its leaders and the 2024 Threads of Tomorrow report. She wanted to raise the industry’s visibility among MPs.
“It felt like we hadn’t really heard that story before – and also really acknowledging the fact that it’s a really female-dominated industry – and I felt that it would be a really important message for my parliamentary colleagues to be able to hear and see the contribution that this industry makes.”
Ahead of the next general election in 2026, Belich is encouraged by this engagement.
“If we are successful in being elected as government at the next election, I’m really pleased that we’ve been able to hear about the huge potential this industry has to grow and also to innovate.
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Advertise with NZME.“There’s a desire to support that creativity, the innovation and the growth of the fashion and textile industry in New Zealand.”
In meetings with ministers, MFNZ expressed interest in a future-focused partnership.
“We were talking about some of those opportunities where the Government can lean into and help support building market access ... or opening up some of those opportunities in innovation,” FitzGerald says.
Hogan agrees and invites more direct support for Mindful Fashion.
“I mean, we’d love some cash, for us to continue to do the good work that we’re doing. To be able to have more resources and wraparound support for Jacinta.”
MFNZ calls the reception in Parliament “overwhelmingly positive” and credits those key economic figures from the 2024 report.
“Momentum has been building over the last 12 months,” FitzGerald says. “It was incredible to have ministers in the room. You could see their eyes widening as we were talking about the statistics. The value is something that people don’t know about, even though we’ve been banging on about it.”
Figures of local industry and influential academics also made their presence felt. Emily Miller-Sharma of Liam/Ruby, Gosia Piatek of Kowtow and Anjali Stewart and Rachel Easting of Twenty-Seven Names were in attendance.
Hogan says the parliamentary visit was key in raising consciousness for NZ fashion and MFNZ as a representative group.
“It was a great opportunity for our organisation to become known ... so when they’re looking for input or feedback, we are the organisation that they turn to, to help guide their decisions.”
It’s been a celebratory and turbulent year for fashion in Aotearoa, from New Zealand Fashion Week: Kahuria to high-profile moments on the world stage (think Rory William Docherty at London Fashion Week), milestone anniversaries, closures for lauded labels and stores and the upcoming Christchurch Spring Fashion Festival. FitzGerald and Hogan are holding optimism close, informed by the people who work within it and their creative drive.
“There’s so many people that want to try things, they want to solve challenges of the industry, whether that be textile waste and the huge impacts of fast fashion or whether that be the opportunities with what we produce in New Zealand,” FitzGerald says. “We’ve got such a strong platform to build from.”
2026 Mindful Fashion Initiatives
Along with the briefing to the Beehive, MFNZ announced three industry initiatives for 2026.
It outlined a Threads of Tomorrow summit, which will take place in June, aiming to bring together leading voices for cross-sector collaborations and innovations.
MFNZ will also work alongside EY NZ to produce an Industry Manufacturing Strategy, with a goal to strengthen competitiveness, economic contributions and resilience across the value chain in the fashion and textile manufacturing industry.
Finally, MFNZ has launched a pilot programme with support from the Agricultural and Marketing Research and Development Trust (Agmardt), which aims to build the case for further experimentation in production chains and identify more opportunities for textile innovation and collaboration in Aotearoa.
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