The Romney sheep had its beginning in the marsh area of Kent in England. Its origin lies with the Romney Marsh breed, which was improved with crossing with Leicester blood in the nineteenth century. Romney sheep were imported from England in the 1870's and the first registered Romney sheep were imported into New Zealand in 1880 and the New Zealand Romney Sheep Breeders’ Association was founded in 1904.

 New Zealand had similar land topography and weather conditions and the Romney made an easy transition, and it became quickly established and still remains the predominant breed. Climatic conditions developed specific characteristics in the breed. These traits include hooves that are resistant to foot rot and fleeces that remain healthy in harsh weather conditions. Other traits make the Romney a top mother breed. They are of a calm, gentle disposition, prolificacy, milk production, ease of lambing, vigorous lambs, and natural mothering instinct. In many flocks, ewes regularly produce twins and can feed triplets with proper nutrition.

 The Romney is truly a versatile breed, as demonstrated by its ability to produce quality meat and wool under diverse climate conditions and management systems. This breed's quiet disposition, unique fleece characteristics, the flavor and quality of its meat and its lambing percentage make it an excellent choice for purebred, commercial, or crossbred programs. These same characteristics, plus the hand spinning qualities of the fleece, also make the breed attractive to the small or spinners flock.

 Lambs from this versatile sheep can be turned out on pasture to mature, where they efficiently convert pasture into lean, high quality carcasses of heavy hanging weights that usually grade prime or choice. Romney meat is known for its delicate taste even in older lambs. Demands by consumers for lean cuts of meat from well-muscled carcasses make it evident that the future of the lamb market rests with breeds having these attributes.

 The Romney fleece is unique among all breeds of sheep. The fleece is lustrous; it hangs in separate locks, with minimal cross fibres between the locks. It is also high yielding and easily spun. Uniformity of crimp from the butt to the tip of a lock is also typical of the breed. Romney wool has the finest fibre diameter of all the long wool breeds; the spinning count may run from 50 to 44, which is equivalent to about 29-36 microns. Ideally, the spinning count of the fleece is consistent over the entire body. The low grease content of Romney wool makes it a very light-shrinking fleece upon washing. The wool clip from the pure bred Romney flock is sought by commercial wool buyers and craftspeople. Its broad range of acceptable spinning counts enables Romney wool to be used for many products, ranging from sweaters to carpets.  For the commercial producer, incorporation of the heavy-shearing white Romney can add significantly to overall farm income.

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