John Kirkpatrick winning the Central Hawke's Bay Shears Open title for a 15th time, as competition organising group member Marc Ludlow wraps up one of the last fleeces of the day. Photo / Shearing Sports New Zealand
Veteran former world shearing champion John Kirkpatrick capped a good start to another season, with a successful defence of the Central Hawke’s Bay A and P Show open title in Waipukurau on Saturday.
This came 31 years after his first open-class win, at the Wairarapa show in Carterton in 1994.
In the first five weekends of the season, Kirkpatrick placed third at Waimate, second at Gisborne, and third at the Wairarapa Show — proving he remains a strong contender for the next five months as he aims to add to an impressive record that includes the 2017 world title, four Golden Shears open titles, two National Shearing Circuit titles, and three New Zealand Shears open titles.
Now 55 and having bounced back from major shoulder surgery two years ago, Kirkpatrick’s 15th Central Hawke’s Bay show open win came with an impressive mix of speed and quality.
He sheared the five-man final of 15 woolly hoggets in the second-fastest time of 13min 52.34sec, with comfortably the best quality points, to beat pacemaker, first man off the board and 2012 World Champion Gavin Mutch by 2.165pts.
Mutch, who will again represent Scotland at the Golden Shears World Shearing and Woolhandling Championships in Masterton in March, sheared the 15 sheep in 13min 47.59sec, with the five finalists separated by just 35.5 seconds.
Third place went to Wairarapa show winner David Buick, of Pongaroa.
Kirkpatrick prodigy Kaivah Cooper continued the same domination that marked the early years of the boss, by scoring his third senior win in successive weeks, to go with 13 junior wins in 2023-2024 and five intermediate wins last season.
Michael Buick, of Pongaroa, also had his third win in a row in intermediate finals.
Ashlin Swann, of Wairoa, won the junior final and claimed honours for the best quality points in heats in all grades.
Tahu Hauiti, of Dannevirke, won the novice final, capping a good day for the whānau after cousins Hine and Waiariki Hauiti were first and second in the novice woolhandling.
Logan Kamura, of Bulls, scored his second open woolhandling title in a week.
Until last week, Kamura hadn’t won since 2019.
“The bug’s come back, I’m really enjoying the challenge,” he said.
He plans to contest the remaining shows in the Shearing Sports New Zealand World Championships team selection series in Southland in January.
On Saturday, he dominated throughout, as the top qualifier in the heats and the semifinals, outlasting Keryn Herbert, of Te Kuiti, who missed out on the final by one place, where she would have been going for a third Central Hawke’s Bay win in a row.
The runner-up was Eketahuna’s Marika Braddick, one of four sisters in the field of 13, including New Zealand representative Ngaio Hanson.
Chloe Henderson, of Feilding, won the senior woolhandling final, and Latisha Roore, of Marton, won the junior final, in only her second competition.
The championships were notable for show-record numbers in the junior and novice shearing classes.
The championships had 134 entries, with 87 shearers (open 15, senior 9, intermediate 9, junior 24, novice 30) and 47 woolhandlers (Open 13, senior 12, junior 13, novice 9).
The next event on the calendar is the New Zealand Corriedales Shearing and Woolhandling Championships in Christchurch next Friday and Saturday.
The next North Island event is the shearing-only Taranaki Shears in Stratford on November 29.
Waipukurau on Saturday, November 8, 2025.
Shearing
Open final (15 sheep): John Kirkpatrick (Pakipaki) 13m 52.34s, 52.2837pts, 1; Gavin Mutch (Scotland/Dannevirke) 13m 47.59s, 54.4462pts, 2; David Buick (Pongaroa) 14m 25.15s, 55.5242pts, 3; Brook Hamerton (Hastings) 14m 19.03s, 56.4848pts, 4; Hemi Braddick (Eketahuna) 14m 27.84s, 61.3253pts, 4.
Senior final (seven sheep): Kaivah Cooper (Napier) 8m 51.91s, 41.5955pts, 1; Mark Ferguson (Elsthorpe) 9m 46.81s, 42.7691pts, 2; Louie Coombe-Gray (Waipukurau) 9m 23.72s, 44.3289pts, 3; Dalton Tangiwai (Pahiatua) 12m 0.41s, 48.8776pts, 4; Duncan Adams (Banchory, Scotland) 10m 45.16s, 49.9723pts, 5.
Intermediate final (six sheep): Michael Buick (Pongaroa) 9m 26.35s, 35.8175pts, 1; Lachie Cameron (Pohangina) 9m 51.06s, 42.8863pts, 2; Marshall Buckman (Apiti) 9m 55.69sec, 46.6178pts, 3; Riley Norman (Eketahuna) 10m 30.18s, 49.6757pts, 4; Mitch Nation (Waipukurau) 10m 0.06s, 50.8363pts, 5.
Junior final (four sheep): Ashlin Swann (Wairoa) 7m 2.1s, 27.355pts, 1; Alex Nicholson (Dannevirke) 6m 27.6s, 29.88pts, 2; William Clarkson (Waipukurau) 8m 7.5s, 31.125pts, 3; Mac Foreman (Pahīatua) 7m 8.4s, 32.42pts, 4; Angus Wigglesworth (Feilding) 7m 6s, 41.3pts, 5.
Novice (one sheep): Tahu Hauiti (Dannevirke) 4m 41.97s, 28.0985pts, 1; Sam Short (Wairoa) 4m 23.6s, 28.18pts, 2; Charlie Kjestrup (Akitio) 4m 38.93s, 30.9465pts, 3; Oliver Selby (Dannevirke) 4m 56.31s, 32.8155pts, 4; Sophie Orchard (North Canterbury) 6m 58.37s, 34.9185pts, 5.
Woolhandling:
Open final: Logan Kamura (Marton) 124.332pts, 1; Marika Braddick (Eketahuna) 143.982pts, 2; Vinniye Phillips (Taumarunui) 147.182pts, 3; Jasmin Tipoki (Napier) 158.126pts, 4.
Senior final: Chloe Henderson (Feilding) 99.92pts, 1; Mere Maraki (Flaxmere) 115.802pts, 2; Kelly Barrett (Kawhia) 129.612pts, 3; Whakapunake (Naki) Maraki (Flaxmere) 130.962pts, 4.
Junior final: Latisha Roore (Marton) 81.282pts, 1; Leah Tamainu (Nuhaka) 83.494pts, 2; Capree Wallace (Taihape) 91.056pts, 3; Anna Murphy (Pongaroa) 109.294pts, 4.
Novice final: Hine Hauiti (Dannevirke) 181.22pts, 1; Waiariki Hauiti (Dannevirke) 199.19pts, 2; Piata Eruera (Eketahuna) 201.12pts, 3; Kobie Foster (Pongaroa) 232.432pts, 4.