Large crowd for Waimate Shears
The 50th Waimate Shears, held over the weekend, have been hailed an absolute success, with large crowds pouring into the new venue to see the best in the business compete.
This year was the first at the town’s new $800,000 pavilion and included a celebratory anniversary dinner followed by wool handling and shearing competitions on Friday and Saturday.
Some top names in the industry competed, including 16-time Golden Shears champion Sir David Fagan and two-time world champion wool handler Joel Henare.
Henare, 25, who started competing as a 12-year-old, took out the open wool handling final in Waimate.
‘‘My mum was a good wool handler and she had friends who were the best in the business,’’ Henare said.
‘‘I knew when I was about 12 that school wasn’t for me,’’ he said.
‘‘I got into correspondence schooling and started working as a wool handler.’’
Henare said it was his determination which had taken him to the world championships in 2012 and 2017, where he was crowned champion.
‘‘I was always competitive and made it to the open grade which is the highest grade, when I was 16.’’
‘‘Wool handlers are responsible for keeping up with the shearer and separating the wool at a fast pace.
‘‘Competing comes down to the top two inches,’’ he said.
Henare will represent New Zealand in the Trans-Tasman championships in Victoria, Australia, in two weeks’ time.
Waimate Shears Spring Society executive officer Eileen Smith said the event had gone very well.
The hall was packed most of the weekend, with a couple of hundred people showing up for each event, Smith said.
‘‘I think it will be one of those weekends where people will walk away from and come back next year bringing even more people.’’
Sir David Fagan was especially popular with the younger crowd and even took some of the kids for a fun shearing lesson, she said.
Results: New Zealand Spring Shearing Championships: Open final (16 sheep): Nathan Stratford (Invercargill) 16min 53.31sec, 58.853pts; Open Invitation Plate (10 sheep): Jack Fagan (Te Kuiti) 11min 2.94sec, 45.247pts; Senior final (8 sheep): Corey Smith (Rakaia) 10min 53.44sec, 43.797pts; Intermediate final (5 sheep): Liam Norrie (Cheviot) 10min 212.18sec, 40.809pts; Junior final (3 sheep): Brodie Horrell (Gore) 6min 34.62sec, 32.3976pts.
Blade shearing: Open final(4 sheep): Tony Dobbs (Fairlie) 12min 8.83sec, 49.6915pts; Intermediate final (2 sheep): Wiremu Kihi (Springfield) 10min 47.43sec, 62.8715pts.
Woolhandling: Open final: Joel Henare (Gisborne/Dunedin) 69.556pts; Senior final: Ebony Turipa (Gore) 96.588pts; Junior final: Tyler Hira (Onewhero) 82.38pts.