The 2026 New Zealand shearing team to the UK: Jack Fagan (left), manager Digger Balme, and Hemi Braddick. Photo/ Shearing Sports New Zealand
The 40th New Zealand Shears Shearing and Woolhandling Championships ended in Te Kūiti on Saturday night in a spectacular 25-sheep open shearing final dominated by New Zealand teammates Jack Fagan and Toa Henderson.
The pair shore virtually blow-for-blow throughout the final, the showpiece event of the Shearing Sports New Zealand season.
For Fagan, it was his first six‑man final in his hometown, as the defending New Zealand Shears champion sought to build on his Golden Shears–New Zealand Shears double achieved in 2025.
Henderson was first off the board by less than three seconds, completing the country’s longest shearing final in 18m 57.25s.
However, it was Fagan who claimed victory, gaining a title that his father, Sir David Fagan, had won 17 times.
The new champion had his previous biggest win in the National Shearing Circuit final at the Golden Shears in Masterton five weeks ago.
He said on Saturday that he’d been dreaming of winning the New Zealand open for the 12 years he’d been in the top grade.
“I’m a true believer in that you are who you surround yourself with,” Fagan said, a tribute to those he’d competed against, many of them contemporaries of his dad.
Southland shearer and 2024 Golden Shears winner 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.
Manawatū woolhandler Logan Kamura completed his best season with his biggest when he won the open woolhandling final, with Marika Braddick, of Eketāhuna, in second place, and third place going to home Waitomo District hope Keryn Herbert, winner in both 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 Eketāhuna 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 woolhandling sisters Ngaio Hanson having been in the New Zealand transtasman team and Marika Braddick having won a world championship team 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 No 1 senior by winning the NZ Shears senior final by just half a point from Taelor Tarrant, of Taumarunui.
Tye Meikle, of Ōamaru, claimed his 16th intermediate win of the season, the most by any shearer or woolhandler 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 woolhandling titles respectively, and Laura Bradley, of Papatawa, retaining the women’s shearing title.
The senior woolhandling title was won by Tia Manson, of Piopio, and Jayda Millanta from Te Kaha won the junior woolhandling final.
The shears attracted 115 in the five shearing classes (open 44, senior 17, intermediate 13, junior 25, novice 16) and 66 in four woolhandling classes (open 21, senior 12, junior 19, novice 14).
Te Kūiti, 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 Kūiti) 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 (Eketāhuna) 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 (Eketāhuna) 14m 38.42pts, 55.788pts, 2; Paerata Abraham (Masterton) 14m 16.83s, 56.776pts, 3; Toa Henderson (Kaiwaka) 14m 38.78s, 57.872pts, 4; Jack Fagan (Te Kūiti) 15m 44.66s, 58.233pts, 5; Nathan Stratford (Invercargill) 16m 15.66s, 58.716pts, 6,
NZ Shears open final (25 sheep): Jack Fagan (Te Kūiti) 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 (Ōamaru) 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 (Pahīatua) 10m 35.09s, 40.005pts, 5; Josh Balme (Ōtorohanga) 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 (-) 5m 23.58s,, 25.674pts, 2; Jack Bailey (Feilding) 6m 51.91s, 29.729pts, 3; Corey Mason (Te Kūiti) 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.
Whānau teams (6 sheep): Justin Meikle and Tye Meikle (Ōamaru) 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 Kūiti) 6m 14,11s, 23.706pts, 3; James Braddick and Hemi Braddick (Eketāhuna) 6m 33.72s, 26.186pts, 4; Ricky Alabaster and Reuben Alabaster (Taihape) 5m 48.11s, 27.406pts, 5; Digger and Josh Balme (Ōtorohanga) 6m 14.55s, 38.228pts, 6.
Open speed shear: Reuben Alabaster (Taihape) 1; Jack Fagan (Te Kūiti) 2; Tiare Tipu (Hastings) 3.
Senior speed shear: Taelor Tarrant (Taumarunui) 53.25s, 1; Cheyden Winiana (Nūhaka) 54.44s, 2; Dunxan Adams (Scotland) 3.S
Woolhandling
NZ Shears open final (6 sheep): Logan Kamura (Maeron) 58.86pts, 1; Marika Braddick (Eketāhuna) 65pts, 2; Keryn Herbert (Te Kūiti) 68.894pts, 3; Hanatia Tipene (Te Kūiti) 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 (Ōamaru); junior – Sean Dunne (Ireland).
Woolhandling – open, Joel Henare (Gisborne/Motueka); senior, Chloe Henderson (Feilding); junior, Leah Tamainu (Nūhaka).