Te Whiringa - The First Senior Shearing Circuit In More Than A Decade

An innovative shearing competition in small-town Central North Island has created a new nine-week circuit to bolster flagging numbers in one of the top grades and better prepare competitors for the glamour Open class.

Te Whiringa Senior Shearing Circuit has been developed by the Waimarino Shears committee, and will be contested over 10 rounds and a final, at the committe's annual competition in Raetihi.

The rounds are: January 18, Wairoa; January 25, Taihape; January 31, Dannevirke; February 1, Rangitikei; February 6, Aria; February 16, Counties; February 21, Taumarunui; February 22, Apiti; March 8, Kumeu; March 15, Waimarino.

Shearers will earn points for placings in the heats at each competition, the top six qualifying for the final, also at the Waimarino Shears, with a winner’s prize that includes a six-week, travel-paid contract with West Australia shearing operation Shear Pride, and mentoring from a top Open-class competitor.

Being the first Senior grades circuit in New Zealand for more than a decade, it is comparable with the Golden Circle which was held in the Open, Senior, Intermediate and Junior grades in the 1970s and 1980s, says Apiti Shears organiser Russell Knight., fondly recalling the good old days.

“I shore in it for several years,” he said. “It wasn’t just the shearing.We made a lot of friends. We were all great mates. They were good times.”

The attraction was the camaraderie as competitors “chased the shows together”, week after week, in times when the nationwide sheep population of 70 million, in the early 1980s, was significantly greater than the 23 million quoted this year.

The Waimarino committee, which broke new ground in 2021 by launching its Te Reo Maori strategy, detected a need to encourage more competitors in the Senior class and to prepare them better for the Open-class.

Chairman Turuhia Edmonds said the need for Te Whiringa has been clear at the Waimaino Shears for some time.

“Historically, we’ve struggled with participation in the Senior grade, and this initiative was designed to address that,” he said. “When I was coming through the grades, I would have loved an opportunity like this — one that focuses on growth and also helps build connections with top Open shearers.

He said he was “lucky” because his father’s involvement in the industry meant he had “access to those connections and the advice of top competitors.

“But I realised early on that many of my peers didn’t have the same opportunities, and that’s still true today,” he said. “It can be intimidating for young shearers to approach their heroes for guidance, and Te Whiringa helps bridge that gap, particularly through the mentorship prize.”

He said it is “very common” to see Senior shearers step up into the Open grade and struggle to get consistent results for the first 2-3 years, and added: “This is one of the biggest reasons many lose interest in competitions and turn away. The financial cost of competing is huge, and without consistent results, there isn’t much return — if any — on their investment.”

He said the mentorship prize provides competitors with invaluable international experience, working on different sheep in a new environment, building adaptability and broadening a shearer’s skill set.

The Waimarino committee says Te Whiringa means “The Weaving of us all,” symbolising the unity, care, and relationships that form when shearers, competitions, and communities come together.

The circuit embodies the values of Kotahitanga (unity), Manaakitanga (care and respect), and Whanaungatanga (relationships and kinship), creating a platform for shearers across the North Island to showcase their skills, learn, and grow in an environment of collective support, it says.

There are five circuits nationwide for Open-class shearers most prominently the PGG Wrightson Vetmed National Shearing Circuit, from which the winner earns a place in the New Zealand transtasman series team, and the New Zealand Shears Circuit, from which the winner earns a place in a New Zealand team tour of test matches in the UK.

The other Open-class circuits are the North and South Island Shearer of the Year competitions, and the Canterbury Circuit.

Shearing Sports New Zealand statistics show competitor numbers decline through the grades. Last season 93 reached Junior finals, 84 reached Intermediate finals, 75 reached Senior finals and 78 reached Open finals. At the Golden Shears in March there were 66 in the Junior class, 68 in the Intermediate class, 54 in the Senior class, and 79 in the Open class.

Entries can be made at https://www.waimarinoshears.com/webinar-registration-1

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