Norsewear
On Track. Pays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
New Zealand knitwear brand making wool and possum-merino socks.
Norsewear makes its wool socks, gloves and beanies in its own factories in New Zealand, where labour laws are strong and legal wages are about a living wage.
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Why it's graded On Track
- Not met: Meets 6 of 7 Good requirements.
- Met: No red flags.
Good requirements 6 of 7
- Met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: presumed because legal wages in New Zealand are about a living wage, not checked at the company
- Met: Respects worker rights
- Met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standardsPresumed from where it's made, not audited
- Not met: Shows where its earlier production stages happen, not just the final oneA "Made in" claim can cover only the final stage. Earlier stages to show: yarn, fabric, dyeing and, for shoes, uppers
- Met: No child or forced labour findings or links
- Met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that listMakes its products in its own factories
- Met: High-risk raw materials (such as cotton and leather) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNone recorded in a major share of its range
Red flags 0
None found.
| Star | Awarded for |
|---|---|
| Open supply chain |
Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Estimates for its products
Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using Norsewear's evidence and, where it has product lines, that line's countries. They're estimates: we don't know which factory made any single item.
Socks, Hats: On Track, the same as Norsewear overall, because nothing we know differs between them.
Holding one? Scan its barcode for an estimate that uses its care label or ingredients.
Where it's made
From Norsewear's own disclosure: it makes its products in its own factories.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
Evidence
What we found
- No high-risk raw materials (such as cotton and leather) are recorded in a major share of its range, so the raw-material check doesn't hold it back for Good.
- Owns or runs its own production
- Uses little or no cotton (e.g. wool, linen or leather products)
- "Made in New Zealand" only means the last major stage happened there: under customs and consumer law, yarn, fabric, dyeing and, for shoes, uppers can be made elsewhere. It hasn't shown where those earlier stages happen, so where it's made counts towards On Track but not Good. Source
Research notes Norsewear knits all its socks, gloves and beanies in its own factory in Norsewood, New Zealand, with about 20 local staff. A small range of heritage jerseys is made by unnamed overseas partners; the countries and production split are not disclosed. It publishes no supplier list, audits or wage data and holds no labour certification. It sells online to Australia.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Ethical Clothing Australia | Not listed | Not in Ethical Clothing Australia's current brand directory (ECA accredits Australian-made supply chains only). View |
| B Corp directory | Not listed | No B Corp certification found. View |
| Fair Wear | Not listed | No Fair Wear membership found. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Not listed | No supply chain labour allegations against Norsewear found. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Not covered | Too small to be required to report under Australia's Modern Slavery Act; no statement found. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- 1News: Close-knit community keeps Norsewear socks on a good footing (2024) · search the archive · Tim Deane bought Norsewear in 2023; factory employs around 20 people, down from 140 at its peak.
- DefSec: NZ Defence Force chooses Norsewear (2025) · search the archive · NZDF sock contract; socks knitted in Norsewood from traceable Wool Integrity NZ wool; owner Tim Deane.
- PGG Wrightson: Norsewear Stockman Zip Jersey · search the archive · Jersey listed as manufactured overseas, country not named.
Published by Norsewear or its owner
- Norsewear: Made in New Zealand · search the archive · Socks, gloves and beanies made in its own NZ factory with around 50 knitting machines; a very small range of heritage jerseys made by longstanding offshore partners; no countries named.
- Norsewear: FAQs · search the archive · All socks, gloves and beanies made in Norsewood; only a couple of jersey styles made offshore; ships to Australia and New Zealand.
- Norsewear: Our story · search the archive · Founded 1963; staff bought stock and machines in a 2007 restructure; a New Zealand family bought the business and brand in 2023.
- Norsewear: As seen in RNZ, 21 May 2025 · search the archive · About 20 local staff plus two new hires; more than 60 machines making socks, hats and gloves.
Company details
- Headquarters
- New Zealand
- Employees
- About 20
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Norsewear ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/norsewear, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What On Track means
Better-graded bags and accessories
Second-hand and refurbished goods create no new factory work, so they're Good by rule and come first.
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Norsewear.