Close-knit community keeps Norsewear socks on a good footing

“Norwegian clothing is Norwegian wood and Norwegian wood is Norwegian clothing.”

At Café Norsewood, the lunch crowd is less than in the larger centres.

The town may be known for Trish’s fantastic pork tacos and homemade pies, but for the 150 people who call Norsewood home, there’s one thing that unites them with pride: socks.

Ask to see theirs and they’ll quickly show you what they’re packing: discreet snowflake emblem and all.

Because they are Norsewear socks, socks made of wool and possum socks from New Zealand, which they claim are the best available.

The first pairs

In the 1960s, a Norwegian army captain named Ola Rian started making socks in his garage in Wellington.

They were hardwearing wool socks that became a favorite on the farm in our rural sector. They were thick, warm and so durable that stories of pairs have been passed down from generation to generation.

Then Rian fell in love with the small town of Norsewood. He moved into the town’s abandoned dairy and socks began to infiltrate the local identity.

Local passion

Forty-six years ago, local resident Terrance Ahern showed up at the factory and never left.

“I left high school at 16 and am now 62.”

He only had three sick days, which is a testament to his dedication to the company and the warming properties of a good pair of wool socks.

Ahern has worked his whole life repairing and maintaining the many complex knitting machines in the factories. This is a specialized profession that is quickly disappearing from our country.

Thanks to his watchful eye, even the old FarmFlex machines are still used in our agricultural sector.

“We still use the same sock and knitting technique on the same machines,” he said.

“They are overhauled occasionally, with a new gearbox, but they can still last another 20 years.”

Modern Norsewear socks, and the machines that make them, have improved a lot since their thick ancestors.

Now the range includes everything from business casual to gumboot-specific. There’s one designed to compress around swollen feet. One for walking around and another for bed.

The list is extensive, but each pair is made with the same local passion.

Unraveling the past

Things didn’t always go smoothly at Norsewear.

If you ask Ahern how many times the factory doors came close to closing, he’ll tell you half a dozen.

“One morning, trucks from the yarn supplier were outside the door when the staff arrived and waited for messages from the bank.”

At its peak, it employed over 140 people; now it employs only about 20. It is still a major employer for the city.

At some point, the employees themselves took the initiative to keep their heads above water.

“When the company is in trouble, someone always comes along and sees the passion of the staff and the people here and joins in. It’s like an addiction,” Ahern said.

The new head of Norsewear

When you ask Tim Deane if people thought he was crazy when he bought Norsewear in 2023, he’s pretty honest.

“Some people would raise their eyebrows and say, ‘Why would someone who has worked in business their whole life do this?’”

The Auckland-based owner had no experience with textiles and had only been to Norsewood once, but he knew two things: the brand was part of New Zealand’s heritage and the socks were incredibly good.

“I want this to be an example of how you can grow a small New Zealand business,” Deane said.

“I hope that the farmers who supply the wool are paid fairly. That we can create jobs in the regions and that we can bring Norsewear to the world and bring the goodness and value of the brand back to New Zealand.”

As the textile industry in New Zealand is shrinking, he wants to use this position to show that it is possible.

“You have to ask yourself, how does a company that has been on the brink of collapse continue to survive and thrive? And it comes down to the quality of the product and the loyalty of the people.”

Norsewood is Norwegian clothing

Sharon Doreen, who works in quality control, is proud that every sock passes through her hands.

In her 33 years as a seller, she has processed more than ten million socks and she is thrilled to see her hard work pay off.

“I’m at the fish and chip shop or something. I’m sitting there looking at their feet to see what socks they’re wearing.”

Doreen’s pride is shared by everyone who has ever walked through the factory.

Parents work alongside their children on the packaging lines. Spouses spend their smoke sessions together. You’d be hard-pressed to find a family in the city where no one has ever pulled a shift.

“What this community and Norsewear have achieved over the last 30 years is phenomenal.”

As Ahern tells anyone who will listen: “Norwegian clothing is Norwegian wood and Norwegian wood is Norwegian clothing.”