Joel Henare on his way to a fifth open woolhandling title at the New Zealand Merino Shears championships in Alexandra on Saturday. Photo / NZ Shearing Sports
Joel Henare on his way to a fifth open woolhandling title at the New Zealand Merino Shears championships in Alexandra on Saturday. Photo / NZ Shearing Sports
Two-time world woolhandling champion Joel Henare started his 20th season in the class with a win in the South Island at the weekend.
Henare, who comes from Gisborne and is based in Motueka, took out the New Zealand Merino Shears open woolhandling title in the Central Otago town of Alexandra.
It is the fifth time Henare has won the title.
Henare finished with a score of 191.612 points in the five-fleece final.
Defending champion Pagan Rimene (Alexandra) was second with 247.2 and another local, Foonie Waihape, was third with 263.762.
It was Henare’s 144th open win and has lined him up for a 15th transtasman test in three weeks.
Gisborne’s Jadas Guelfi was fourth in the four-sheep senior shearing final won by Tawhaarangi Taylor (Ohakune).
The Alexandra event started the 2025-2026 competition season which will culminate in the 20th Golden Shears World Shearing and Woolhandling Championships in Masterton in March.
The first Shearing Sports NZ event in the North Island will be the Gisborne Shearing and Woolhandling Championships at the Poverty Bay A and P Show on October 18.
