New Shears Event For Young Shearers In Northland

Northland shearing competitions have again struck innovation to try to bring younger competitors back to the shows in the region with a new combined grade kicking-in at the Whangarei A and P Show on Saturday.

Novice, Junior and Intermediate shearers will compete in a single event based on handicap, with a first prize of $500, $250 for second and money down to fifth place.

The handicap structure will be that novice shearers will shear one sheep each, Juniors two sheep each, and Intermediate three sheep each.

The combined grade will also be shorn at the Kaikohe A, P and H Show on January 18, the North Kaipara show at Paparoa on February 1, the Northern Wairoa Show on February 8 at Arapohue, Dargaville, and the North Hokianga show at Broadwood on February 15.

The shows will also be part of the ANZ Northland Shearing championship, with teams of a member from each grade in teams in the names of their home shows, and which was first held in 2017-2018.

Extra spice will be added to the programme on Saturday with Te Kuiti shearer, World record-breaker, prolific speedshear winner and New Zealand team member Jack Fagan expected to shear in Whangarei in preference to the Rotorua and P Show, where he won the Open final last year.

Northland gun Toa Henderson also says he’ll be competing in Whangarei, where competition starts at 10am, and will be followed by a speedshear starting at 4pm.

There will be a sentimental involvement for Fagan who in December 2020 travelled north to win the Whangarei Open final, the first in Whangarei for more than 30 years and launching the spectacular combination of an especially-built new shearing stand in the setting of a natural Barge Showgrounds amphitheatre.

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