Wool champ marches on – Happy dad and all
World champion woolhandler and father-of-three Joel Henare moved to just three short of a century of Open-class wins
when he successfully defended the national longwool title at the Northern Southland Community Shears today.
From Gisborne, having been based mainly in Otago but now out of working in the wool industry, living in Motueka and
working for fish company Talleys, the 25-year-old Henare has now won 10 finals since he claimed his second World title
at the 40th anniversary World shearing and woolhandling championships in Invercargill last February.
The wins include successful defences of the Golden Shears and New Zealand Open titles, six of the seven finals he’s
contested in New Zealand this season, and a Bendigo Shears title in Australia in September.
Back yesterday at the competition which produced his first win, as a 12-year-old competing in the Junior class in 2005,
he said he will now concentrate on just the major competitions, the form suggesting he could bring the century up over
the next few weeks.
“I love the new challenge,” he said of what is both a career change and a change of lifestyle. He grew-up in the
woolsheds and was winning Open-class competitions before he’d turned 15.
“The (fish shed) hours are good for my kids,” he said. “Life’s about them now so I have to prioritise.”
He will have the sponsorship support of shearing clothing company Undermine.co.nz to get to the competitions, and did so
yesterday to be top qualifier in the heats of 12 competitors, and win his seventh Lumsden Open title.
Kelly Macdonald, of Lake Hawea, was second in her second big final of the season, regular New Zealand representative
Keryn Herbert, of Te Kuiti was third, and fourth was Monica, of Milton, extending a succession of finals placings since
early last year, which have included two wins.
Gore competitor Sharon Tuhakaraina successfully defended the Senior title, and Tyler Hira, from Onewhero in Waikato,
continued her good form throughout the season by winning the Junior final.
World teams shearing champions John Kirkpatrick, of Napier, and Nathan Stratford, of Invercargill, were back on the
stand together in the 20 sheep Open shearing final in the Long Range woolshed and were both beaten to the finish by
rising Open hope Casey Bailey, of Winton.
But Stratford’s significantly superior quality, with top pen and board points, retained him title he won last year and
previously in 2002, 2013, and 2015, but by just under half a point. Bailey hading to settle for third place.
Jade Maguire Ratima, of Winton won the Senior shearing final, John Malseed, from England, won the Intermediate final,
and Southland teenager Flynn Harvey had his first win, in the Junior final.
The shears were the first leg of a weekend double in Southland, with the national crossbred lambs shearing and
woolhandling championships at Winton A and P tomorrow (Saturday), and shearing championships at Kaikohe, Wairoa and
Tkaka tomorrow, and Levin on Sunday.
Results from the Northern Southland Community Shears, at shearing at Lowther Downs and woolhandling at Long Range
(Castlerock), on Friday, January 19, 2018:
Shearing:
Open final (20 sheep): Nathan Stratford (Invercargill) 19min 53.35sec, 66.4175pts, 1; John Kirkpatrick (Napier) 18min
56.34sec, 66.917pts, 2; Casey Bailey (Riverton) 18min 30.35sec, 67.9675pts, 3; Andy Mainland (Invercargill) 20min
48.28sec, 72.764pts, 4; Paerata Abraham (Masterton) 19min 44.12sec, 75.656pts, 5.
Senior final (12 sheep): Jade Maguire Ratima (Winton) 13min 49.69sec, 56.7345pts, 1; Lionel Taumata (Taumarunui/Gore)
14min 10.06sec, 58.4196pts, 2; Linton Palmer (Dipton) 16min 27.59sec, 63.1943pts, 4; Marley Waihape (Mataura) 16min
25.72sec, 65.536pts, 5.
Intermediate final (6 sheep):John Malseed (England)9min 45sec, 41.0833pts, 1; Jess Barclay (Mataura) 11min 15sec,
45.5833pts, 2; Brandon Maguire Ratima (Winton) 10min 44sec, 46.3666pts, 3; Augustin Cairey-Remonnay (France) 50.3666pts,
4; Scott Cameron (-) 13min 33sec, 65.9833pts, 5.
Junior final (4 sheep): Flynn Harvey (Southland) 12min 27sec, 49.6pts, 1; Brayden Clifford (Gore) 11min 31sec, 50.05pts,
2; Jonah Collins (-) 10min 20sec, 55pts, 3; Andy Hamilton (-) 9min 42sec, 57.85pts, 4; Sharon Tuhakaraina (Gore) 11min
56sec, 71.55pts, 5.
Woolhandling:
Open final: Joel Henare (Gisborne) 75.65pts, 1; Kelly Macdonald (Lake Hawea) 82.262pts, 2; Keryn Herbert (Te Awamutu/Te
Kuiti) 84.55pts, 3; Monica Potae (Milton) 94.634pts, 4.
Senior final: Sharon Tuhakaraina (Gore) 80.274pts, 1; Nat Collier (Gore) 99.45pts, 2; Krystal Schimanski-Gulliver (Gore)
112.744pts, 3; Maiden Elers (Mataura) 115.662pts, 4.
Junior final: Tyler Hira (Onewhero) 95;374pts, 1; Amber Poihipi (Ohai) 99.27pts, 2; Krome Elers (Mataura) 103.51pts, 3;
Niwa Dix (Stratford) 117.862pts, 4; Shanae Daniels 120.25pts, 5; Arianna Te Whata 162.31pts, 6.