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Digger Balme walked off the stage to thunderous applause.
Dion King won the Golden Shears in 2006.
Whetu Henderson competed in the open final.
The sharpest shearers from all around the country rattled their dags to Mangawhai for the second Mangawhai Tavern Speed Shear this month.
Hawkes Bay shearer Dion King took the fastest final time of 20.54 seconds, winning the competition for the second time.
It was a triumph for veterans of the field, with 44-year-old King now in his 17th consecutive open-class season. Runner-up was Digger Balme (Otorohanga) and third place went to Neville Osborne (Tangowahine), each with more than 25 seasons.
Kaiwaka-based Henderson Shearing, comprising father Mike Henderson and sons Whetu, Toa and Tane, showed good form.
Whetu Henderson performed well in the open heats with a time of 24.40, but ultimately could only make sixth in the final. Tua came second in the local open category with 29.48 seconds.
Shearing Sports NZ chairman David Fagan says the Mangawhai event has quickly become one of the most anticipated in the shearing world.
“The winners were as good as any shearers in the world. Te Kuiti shearer Jack Fagan, who came fourth, has just won two of the biggest speed shears in Australia,” he says.
“Big ups to the locals for coming along and having a crack. Without locals supporting the event, it wouldn’t be the same.”
David says a top prize of $5000, the largest of any shearing event in New Zealand thanks to generous sponsors, adds to the event’s prestige.
“The sport is in good health and these events prove it. There’s something uniquely Kiwi about shearing. It’s part of our heritage,” he says.
Organiser Lailene McDonald says over the course of the day, 500 attendees came to watch the wool fly.
She says special thanks must go to Dion King who arrived early to help crutch the sheep and played a big role in putting the event together.
She also thanked sponsors Polands Atv + Mowers, PGG Wrightson, Westmoreland Homes, Silver Fern Farms, Carrfields NZ, Farm Source Northland, Shane Cullen Contracting, Wiley Geotechnical, Active Electrical Suppliers, Mobile Baa Baa, Patoka HomeKill Butcher, Ramma Fencing and Henderson Shearing.
