Number 8 wire

In England, in 1855, Henry Bessemer patented the Bessemer process that led to the mass production of low-cost high-quality steel, leading to the large scale production of affordable lighter gauge steel wire.

[2] The introduction of the new steel fencing wire of various gauges in the 1860s allowed the rapid construction of low-cost fencing and was quickly adopted for use on New Zealand sheep farms.

[2][3] From the early 1960s, high-tensile 12½ gauge (2.5 mm) steel wire has largely replaced number 8 wire for New Zealand fencing, as it is lighter and cheaper, though also more difficult to work.

[5] Accordingly, the term "number 8 wire" came to represent the ingenuity and resourcefulness of New Zealanders,[6][7] and the phrase "a number 8 wire mentality" evolved to denote an ability to create or repair machinery using whatever scrap materials are available on hand.

[9] The Waikato Museum runs an art award named after the wire.