Basically Bush
Sue checks the quality of the fur
They look cute and cuddly and are protected in their native Australia, but in New Zealand possums have been officially considered a national pest since 1936.
Introduced into New Zealand in 1837 in the hope of establishing a thriving fur trade, possums love it here – the climate and vegetation suit them, as do the tasty morsels of birds, eggs, insects and snails they have consumed to the point of near extinction.
As a consequence, and the possum's role as a carrier of Bovine Tuberculosis, there has long been both official and private culling of possums. The Department of Conservation (DOC) and the Animal Health Board have implemented schemes to eliminate the possum population, spending many millions of dollars of tax payers', local government and farmers' money.
Since its introduction possum fur has been a minor industry but it declined severely in the 1980s due to fashion and animal rights concerns. But times have changed, and there is now a new type of professional hunter, working with companies who want possum fur to use as a fibre. Basically Bush is one such company, which buys possum skins or fur and sells them to companies which produce fibre products containing the fur.
The Start
Basically Bush, founded by Steve and Sue Boot in 1998, is located at Wairata in the middle of the Waioka Gorge, 100km north of Gisborne. Steve has worked in the pest control and the possum fur and skin recovery businesses since 1977. Sue has helped with possum trapping since 1978, later returning to nursing as a career and raising a family before returning to work at Basically Bush full time in 2000. Sue co-ordinates the business and buys fur in the Bay of Plenty region.
Basically Bush also contracts six commissioned agents, located in Northland, Rotorua, Hawke's Bay, Wanganui, Nelson and Blenheim, to buy possum fur on its behalf (with two of these agencies also buying skins).
