Dry spell moves record attempt

Stacey Te Huia will challenge for the world shearing record.

A world shearing record attempt set for a Hawke's Bay sheep station next month has become a casualty of the region's unusual summer and been shifted to a woolshed in the King Country.

Australia-based Te Kuiti gun Stacey Te Huia, who along with sister and fellow record-breaker Kerri-Jo has been working in Hawke's Bay recently, was to have made his bid at Waitara Station, north of Te Pohue, on January 22.

The challenge will now take place on the same date at Te Hape, near Benneydale and about 20km from where Porangahau shearer Rodney Sutton shore the strong wool ewes record of 721 in nine hours in 2007.

Te Huia said a meeting of organisers last week decided to "start looking for a Plan B" because the condition of the sheep this summer in the area was making them unsuitable for the record.

"The sheep have done it hard this season," he said.

"Too much pumice and not enough rain. We decided on Tuesday that pulling out (of Waitara Station) would be the best option to achieve our goal."

Waitara has, however, been the scene of two other records, an eight-hour record by Matthew Smith in January 2010 and a two-stand eight-hours record a year later by his brothers, Rowland and Doug. Te Huia said there are 10,000 sheep to select from at Te Hape.