THE 40th New Zealand Shears shearing and woolhandling championships has ended in Te Kuiti on Saturday with a spectacular 25-sheep open shearing final dominated by New Zealand teammates Jack Fagan and Toa Henderson.

The pair sheared blow for blow almost throughout in the final act of the Shearing Sports New Zealand season.

Fagan, for the first time in his six-man home-town final and ultimately claimed the title, against defending champion and 2025 and 2026 Henderson, who was out to complete a second Golden Shears and New Zealand Shears double.

It was Henderson first off the board by less than three seconds, completing the country’s only 25-sheep final of the season in 18m 57.25s. But this not enough to shut-out Fagan, who was desperate after 12 years of trying in open class to win a title claimed 17 times by father Sir David Fagan.

The new champion had his previous biggest win in the National Shearing Circuit final at the Golden Shears in Masterton five weeks ago, and his biggest previously at Te Kuiti in the New Zealand Shears Circuit final two years ago and the North Island Shearer of the year title in 2025.

“I’m a true believer in that you are who you surround yourself with,” Jack Fagan said, a tribute to those he’s competed against, many of them contemporaries of his dad.

Since the Golden Shears, Fagan has focused on the gym, and in the woolshed he’s shorn just one two-hour run, to counter the fatigue that might have abounded at the end of a long season, in which most top-level finals are shorn over five fewer sheep.

Southland shearer and 2024 Leon Samuels had the best board shearing points and claimed second place, with Masterton shearer David Gordon keeping the quality together enough to push Henderson back to fourth place.

Fagan was top qualifier in the heats and quarter finals, but placed just fifth in the six from the semi-finals.

Kamura nabs biggest wool handling win

Manawatu wool handler Logan Kamura completed his best season with his biggest when he won the open wool handling final, with Marika Braddick, of Eketahuna, in second place, and third place going to home Waitomo District hope Keryn Herbert, the winner in 2024 and 2025.

The 31 year-old Kamura was runner-up last year, and had won at the Wairarapa, Central Hawke’s Bay shows this season, before finishing runner-up at the Golden Shears to world champion Joel Henare.

Scottish shearer and southern Hawke’s Bay farmer Gavin Mutch successfully defended the New Zealand Shears Circuit title, in a six-man final which provided a big moment for runner-up and Eketahuna shearer Hemi Braddick, who will join Fagan in a New Zealand team tour of the United Kingdom in July.

Braddick becomes the third member of the family to represent New Zealand in less than 12 months, with wool handling sisters Ngaio Hanson having been in the New Zealand trans-Tasman team and Marika Braddick having won a world championship teams title.

Henderson did come out of the three days with one title, in the North Island Shearer of the Year final confirming his place as No 1-ranked open shearer for the season.

Southland shearer Dre Roberts reaffirmed his place as top senior by winning the NZ Shears senior final, by just half-a-point from star-of-the-north Taelor Tarrant, of Taumarunui, and Tye Meikle, of Oamaru, claimed his 16th intermediate win of the season, the most by any shearer or wool handler in any grade.

It was a big week for Tararua District competitors, with Camden Bolton-Smith, of Woodville, winning the junior shearing final, Dannevirke cousins Tahupotiki Hauiti and Hinepurotu Hauiti winning the novice shearing and wool handling titles respectively, and Laura Bradley, of Papatawa, retaining the women’s shearing title.

The senior wool handling title was won by Tia Manson, of Piopio, and Jayda Millanta, from Te Kaha, won the junior wool handling final.

The shears attracted 115 in the five shearing classes (open 44, senior 17, intermediate 13, junior 25, novice 16) and 66 in four wool handling classes (open 21, senior 12, junior 19, novice 14).

RESULTS from the 40th New Zealand Shears Shearing and Woolhandling Championships at Te Kuiti on Thursday-Saturday April 9-11, 2026:

Shearing:

Inter-Island (10 sheep): South Island 99.237pts (Leon Samuels 8m 30.64s, 32.232pts; Nathan Stratford 9m 24.47s, 32.624pts; Casey Bailey 9m 47.61s, 34.381pts) beat North Island 99.391pts (8m 33.34s, 31.967pts; David Buick 8m 55.66s, 33.183pts; John Kirkpatrick 9m 22.81s, 34.241pts) by 0.154pts.

North Island Shearer of the Year final (20 sheep – 10 ewes, 10 lambs): Toa Henderson (Kaiwaka) 14m 27.2s, 51.46pts, 1; Jack Fagan (Te Kuiti) 14m 24.91s, 52.546pts, 2; John Kirkpatrick (Pakipaki) 16m 13.5s, 54.075pts, 3; Gavin Mutch (Scotland/Dannevirke) 15m 24.5s, 54.625pts, 4; David Buick (Pongaroa) 15m 24.58s, 55.129pts, 5; Hemi Braddick (Eketahuna) 15m 52.2s, 55.36pts, 6.

NZ Shears Circuit (15 sheep – 5 merino, 5 second-shear, 5 lambs): Gavin Mutch (Scotland/Dannevirke) 13m 57.66s, 55.55pts, 1; Hemi Braddick (Eketahuna) 14m 38.42s, 55.788pts,  2; Paerate Abraham (Masterton) 14m 16.83s, 56.776pts, 3; Toa Henderson (Kaiwaka) 14m 38.78s, 57.872pts, 4; Jack Fagan (Te Kuiti) 15m 44.66s, 58.233pts, 5; Nathan Stratford (Invercargill) 16m 15.66s, 58.716pts, 6,

NZ Shears Open final (25 sheep): Jack Fagan (Te Kuiti) 19m 0.06s, 65.203pts, 1; Leon Samuels (19 59.81s, 66.631pts, 2; David Gordon (Masterton) 19m 42.27s, 67.234pts, 3; Toa Henderson (Kaiwaka) 18m 57.25s, 67.903prs, 4; Nathan Stratford (Invercargill) 22m 5.77s, 72.129pts, 5; Gavin Mutch (Scotland/Dannevirke) 20m 10.58s, 72.329pts, 7.

NZ Shears Senior final (12 sheep): Dre Roberts (Mataura) 12m 49.34s, 46.3pts, 1; Taelor Tarrant (Taumarunui) 12m 5.95s, 46.881pts, 2; Cody Waihape (Gore) 13m 6.58s, 47.245pts, 3; Kaivah Cooper (Napier) 13m 27.92s, 48.146pts, 4; Keahrey Manson (Piopio) 13m 26.27s, 56.314pts, 5; Duncan Adams (Banchory, Scotland) 13m 51.02s, 57.468pts, 6.

NZ Shears Intermediate final (8 sheep): Tye Meikle (Oamaru) 9m 3.89s, 32.195pts, 1; Lachie Cameron (Pohangina) 11m 26.39s, 38.57pts, 2; Lydia Thomson (Oxford/Hastings) 11m 51.27s, 39.564pts, 3; Connor Wilkinson (Wyndham) 10m 51.67s, 39.584pts, 4; Riley Norman (Pahiatua) 10m 35.09s, 40.005pts, 5; Josh Balme (Otorohanga) 11m 0.86s, 40.418pts, 6.

NZ Shears Junior final (5 sheep): Camden Bolton (Woodville) 8m 3.62, 31.596pts, 1; Cam Henson (Woodville) 8m 28.83s, 32.792pts, 2; Tane Maguire (Powys, Wales) 8m 42.02s, 34.301pts, 3; Alex Wrenn (Dannevirke) 8m 56.13s, 34.607pts, 4; Tana Maguire (Piopio) 8m 6.53s, 35.527pts, 5; Deakan Mullins-Henry (Dannevirke) 8m 37.19s. 39.86pts, 6.

NZ Shears Novice final (2 sheep): Tahu Hauiti (Dannevirke) 4m 0.36s, 22.518pts, 1; Oliver Bambry (Pahiatua) 5m 23.58s,, 25.674pts, 2; Jack Bailey (Feilding) 6m 51.91s, 29.729pts, 3; Corey Mason (Te Kuiti) 6m 14.58s, 29.729pts,4; Cleveland Pue (Raetihi) 7m 50.67s, 31.034pts, 5; Alexis Young (Gisborne) 8m 43.44s, 34.172pts, 6.

NZ Shears Women’s final (6 sheep): Laura Bradley (Papatawa) 7m 30s, 27.5pts, 1; Sarah Bryant (Arohena) 7m 51.44s, 32.572pts, 2; Lydia Thomson (Oxford/Hastings) 9m 54.2s, 37.21pts, 3; Peggy Sue Tohengaroa (Aria) 10m 2.92s, 39.979pts, 4; Rebecca Dickson (Feilding) 12m 5.02s, 44.91pts, 5; Ashlin Swann (Wairoa) 11m 39.25s, 45.463pts, 6.

Whanau teams (6 sheep): Justin Meikle and Tye Meikle (Oamaru) 5m 49.06a, 21.787pts, 1; Peter Chilcott and Brook Hamerton (Hawke’s Bay) 5m 55.81s, 22.791pts, 2; David Fagan and Jack Fagan (Te Kuiti) 6m 14,11s, 23.706pts, 3; James Braddick and Hemi Braddick (Eketahuna) 6m 33.72s, 26.186pts, 4; Ricky Alabaster and Reuben Alabaster (Taihape) 5m 48.11s, 27.406pts, 5; Digger and Josh Balme (Otorohanga) 6m 14.55s, 38.228pts, 6.

Open Speed Shear: Reuben Alabaster (Taihape) 1; Jack Fagan (Te Kuiti) 2; Tiare Tipu (Hastings) 3.

Senior Speed Shear: Taelor Tarrant (Taumarunui) 1; Cheyden Winiana (Nuhaka) 2; Duncan Adams (Scotland) 3.

Wool handling:

NZ Shears Open final (6 sheep): Logan Kamura (Maeron) 58.86pts, 1; Marika Braddick (Eketahuna) 65pts, 2; Keryn Herbert (Te Kuiti) 68.894pts, 3; Hanatia Tipene (Te Kuiti) 85.8pts, 4; Vinniye Phillips (Taumarunui) 88.476pts, 5.

NZ Shears Senior final (5 sheep): Tia Manson (Piopio) 77.82pts. 1; Amy Bell (Weber) 77.93pts, 2; Chloe Henderson (Halcomb) 87.97pts, 3; Kelly Barrett (Kawhia) 89.97pts, 4; Paige Marshall (Kihikihi) 106.5pts, 5.

NZ Shears Junior final (4 sheep): Jayda Millanta (Te Kaha) 49.06pts, 1; Jade Hikiwai (Dannevirke) 51.69pts, 2; Shay Stewart (Napier) 73.03pts, 3; Atiria Barrowcliffe (Piopio) 78.32pts, 4; Opal Ramsay-Houpapa (Pongaroa) 92.62pts, 5

NZ Shears Novice final (2 sheep): Hinepurotu Hauiti (Dannevirke) 49.98pts, 1; Gwen Rata (Taumarunui) 57.47pts, 2; Ella Crofskey (Palmerston North) 57.682pts, 3; Kobie Foster (Pongaroa) 61.786pts, 4; Shawna Swann (Wairoa) 100.13pts, 5. .

Shearing Sports New Zealand No 1 rankings 2025-2026: Shearing – Open, Toa Henderson (Kaiwaka); senior, Dre Roberts (Mataura): intermediate – Tye Meille (Oamaru); junior – Sean Dunne (Ireland). Wool handling – open, Joel Henare (Gisborne/Motueka); senior, Chloe Henderson (Feilding); junior, Leah Tamainu (Nuhaka).