New Zealand agriculture has been closely associated with this sheep since its origins. In the beginning, export income was primarily derived from the sale of wool, but early in the century a thriving export meat trade developed with the United Kingdom (since highly diversified) with the advent of refrigerated meat shipping, and the production of meat became of importance. Quite a large area of New Zealand falls midway between the sparser grazing that suits the Merino and the richer pastures on which the Romney and other British longwool types do best. It was logical to consider crosses between these two types quite early in New Zealand pastoral history.

It was found that the first-cross Merino/longwool sheep yielded an acceptable and uniform type, but that a wide variation occurred when subsequent halfbred matings were undertaken. The need to fix the type was appreciated by James Little, who came to New Zealand in 1863 from Scotland, bringing some Romney sheep for two large properties, “Corriedale” and “Balruddery”, both in the low-rainfall area of North Otago in the South Island. While working on these two properties, Little, an experienced sheep man, crossed the Romneys on Merino ewes, and by heavy culling began to evolve a sheep of the special type required, and one which would breed true. He later dropped the Romney/Merino cross, but, having proved that a specially efficient breed for light-rainfall country could be evolved by the right methods, he began work in North Canterbury with Lincoln/Merino crosses.