Sign In / Register
Many of the best sheep shearers in New Zealand will make their way to Mangawhai next month for the second annual Mangawhai Tavern Speed Shear on Saturday, November 2.
With a $10,000 prize pool, the event has swiftly found a place on the national shearing circuit, attracting shearing stars from as far afield as the South Island and Hawkes Bay.
Organiser Lailene McDonald says last year’s inaugural event drew a huge crowd and 30 shearers, with former Golden Shears champion and world lamb shearing record holder Dion King taking the top prize of $5000.
This year, shearing legend Sir David Fagan, who won the Golden Shears championship a record 16 times, will be there on the day to run the event and another strong field is expected.
Lailene says the event was borne out of chance, but has grown quickly.
“I worked at the Mangawhai Tavern and my partner was a shearer and, one day, he was telling me about speed shearing. He said we should do it at the tavern to replace some of the big gigs and as something for families,” she says.
“It drew a really big crowd last year. I wasn’t going to do it again, but so many people have been asking about it. Even in the shearing world it is looked forward to.”
She says they have been lucky in securing strong sponsorship from a range of national and local businesses, including PGG Wrightson, Silver Fern Farms, Carrfields and Kaiwaka’s Henderson Shearing, which is sponsoring and competing.
Registration opens at 1pm, with shearing starting at 4pm. Entry costs $60 for Open or $40 for Senior classes. All the competitors will be on a large stage with a stock truck full of sheep needing a haircut backed up to the stage. The results will be decided by judges from Shearing Sport NZ.
