Northland's Toa Henderson on his way to winning the New Zealand Shears open shearing final in Te Kūiti. Photo / Shearing Sports New Zealand
Northland shearer Toa Henderson shore 25 second-shear sheep in under 20 minutes to complete a 2025 Golden Shears and New Zealand Shearing Championships open titles double in Te Kūiti on Saturday night.
Henderson won his first Golden Shears final over 20 sheep in Masterton four weeks ago and stepped up to a new challenge by shearing the first 25-sheep final in more than three decades in 19m 57.44s, averaging 49.64s a sheep caught, shorn and dispatched, to finish 28.65s before next man off Mark Grainger, of Te Kūiti.
He was 49.08s ahead of Scottish shearer and Southern Hawke’s Bay farmer Gavin Mutch, who made the pace early and hung on to claim second place.
Henderson won by 1.534pts, with a further 0.274pts back to Marlborough shearer Angus Moore in third place.
Earlier in the night, Mutch had mastered the merinos, second-shear ewe and lambs of the New Zealand Shears Circuit final to claim his biggest Southern Hemisphere win after his 2012 world championship and 2015 Golden Shears open win, both in Masterton.
Mutch shore the 15 mixed sheep in 14m 9.59s and won by 2.174pts from next man off Grainger who, with the winner ineligible for New Zealand selection on a nationality basis, will with Henderson make up the New Zealand team for test matches in the UK in July.
Read more shearing and woolhandling stories here.
Their thunder was all but stolen, however, by Southern Hawke’s Bay mum Laura Bradley, who completed the most successful season yet by a female shearer.
She beat her five male opponents in the senior shearing final to become the first woman to win either the senior or intermediate final in Te Kūiti.
Earlier in the day, she won the junior woolhandling final, and on Friday night she had completed her second Golden Shears-New Zealand Shears women’s finals double.
Although finishing just fourth in the Golden Shears senior final, Bradley has won 12 finals this season and four from last season. As a result, she will become the first woman promoted to open class based on competition performances.
She will also be promoted to senior class in woolhandling, after four wins in junior events this season.
Keryn Herbert, of Te Kūiti, retained the open woolhandling title after winning the event last year for the first time in more than 20 years of trying, with Logan Kamura, of Marton, the runner-up.
Motueka-based Joel Henare, who on March 1 won his 10th consecutive Golden Shears open title, was fourth.
Herbert has won more than 60 open woolhandling titles.
Friday night belonged to Te Kūiti shearer Jack Fagan, who won the North Island Shearer of the Year final and, with Buick, completed a 3-0 series win over the Wales team of Llyr Jones and Gethin Lewis. Fagan was also part of the Balme and Son team that won the contractors’ teams final.
Fagan had been in the North Island Shearer of the Year final a few times, had his “arse kicked” a few times and was starting to wonder if he would ever win it.
He won the Shears Circuit final last year, has been shearing in the open class for 12 years, and was runner-up in the South Island Shearer of the Year final won by Dipton shearer Corey Palmer in Gore on February 14.
Buick combined with Henderson and Masterton shearer David Gordon for a win by almost four points in the inter-island match, having also won the match in Gore six weeks ago.
Ōamaru teenager Tye Meikle will end the 2024-25 shearing sports season with more wins than any other competitor in any grade.
His win in the junior final in Te Kūiti on Friday was the 16-year-old’s 14th in his season of 21 finals at 21 venues, from Winton in the south to Whangārei in the North over the 22 weeks of competition, with one more left – the National Lamb Shearing Championship in Fairlie on Easter Monday.
The win over five sheep each was a near head-to-head North-South match with Gisborne teenager Jodiesha Kirkpatrick, the winner of 11 of her 20 finals.
Te Kūiti, March 27-29, 2025
International (20 lambs): New Zealand (David Buick 15m30.64s, 56.932pts; Jack Fagan 15m 51.86s, 57.643pts) 114.575pts, beat Wales (Llyr Jones 15m 28.97s, 58.599pts; Gethin Lewis 15m 52.97s, 60.599pts) 119.198pts. New Zealand won the Wools of New Zealand Series 3-0.
Inter-island (10 sheep): North Island (Toa Henderson 8m 36.09s, 33.305pts; David Gordon 9m 32.23s, 34.012pts; David Buick 9m 15s, 35.05pts) 102.367pts, beat South Island ( Casey Bailey 9m 12.97s, 32.949pts; Angus Moore 8m 36.16s, 36.308pts; Corey Palmer 9m 38.16s, 37.008pts) 106.265pts.
New Zealand Shears Circuit (15 sheep – 5 merinos, 5 second-shear ewes, 5 lambs): Gavin Mutch (Scotland/Dannevirke) 14m 9.59s, 54.146pts, 1; Mark Grainger (Te Kūiti) 14m 27.73s, 56.32pts, 2; Jack Fagan (Te Kūiti) 15m 19.38s, 57.169pts, 3; Casey Bailey (Riverton) 15m 34.94s, 57.68pts, 4; Justin Meikle (Ōamaru) 14m 41.59s, 58.28pts, 5; Brett Roberts (Mataura) 16m 26.8s, 64.206pts, 6.
North Island Shearer of the Year (20 sheep - 10 ewes, 10 lambs): Jack Fagan (Te Kūiti) 14m 55.83s, 54.092pts, 1; David Buick (Pongaroa) 15m 20.84s, 54.142pts, 2; Gavin Mutch (Scotland/Dannevirke) 15m 38.7s, 54.335pts, 3; John Kirkpatrick (Pakipaki) 16m 23.03s, 56.302pts, 4; Paerata Abraham (Masterton) 16m 9.77s, 58.789pts, 5; Nathan Stratford (Invercargill) 17m 20.45s, 59.523pts, 6.
New Zealand Shears Open final (25 sheep): Toa Henderson (Kaiwaka) 19m 57.44s, 69.592pts, 1; Gavin Mutch (Scotland/Dannevirke) 20m 46.52s, 71.126pts, 2; Angus Moore (Ward) 21m 21.59s, 71.4pts, 3; Mark Grainger (Te Kūiti) 20m 26.09s, 72.105pts 4; Leon Samuels (Roxburgh) 21m 6.78s, 72.379pts, 5; Nathan Stratford (Invercargill) 22m 42.09s, 74.225pts, 6.
New Zealand Shears Senior final (12 sheep): Laura Bradley (Papatawa) 13m 16.8s, 48.10pts, 1; John Cherrington (Ōamaru/Ngaruawaha) 13m 13.95s, 48.115pts, 2; Taelor Tarrant (Taumarunui) 12m 44.16s, 50.875pts, 3; Gabriel Winders (Kakanui) 12m 57.42s, 51.037pts, 4; Bruce Grace (Wairoa) 13m 52.78s, 51.389pts, 5; Callum Bosley (England/Otorohanga) 12m 56.81s, 6.
New Zealand Shears Intermediate final (8 sheep): Keahrey Manson (Piopio) 10m 28.41s, 37.546pts, 1; Ryka Swann (Wairoa) 9m 37.78s, 38.514pts, 2; Sarah Bryant (Arohena) 10m 49.23s, 40.337pts, 3; Hamuera Henderson (Kaiwaka) 10m 40.64s, 42.657pts, 4; Josh Balme (Ōtorohanga) 12m 3.39s, 43.545pts, 5; Owen Martin-Jones (Wales) 11m 24.84s, 43.742pts, 6.
New Zealand Shears Junior final (5 sheep): Tye Meikle (Ōamaru) 6m 29.3s, 27.265pts, 1; Jodiesha Kirkpatrick (Gisborne) 7m 23.81s, 28.191pts, 2; Sonya Fagan (Te Kūiti) 7m 7.52s, 30.776pts, 3; Riley Norman (Eketāhuna) 8m 0.72s, 31.836pts, 4; Tom Clarkson (Martinborough) 6m 54.41s, 33.521pts, 5; Trent Alabaster (Taihape) 8m 47.09s, 36.905pts, 6.
New Zealand Shears Novice final (2 sheep): James Anderson (Pukeatua) 7m 26s, 29.3pts, 1; Sam Lawson (Onga Onga) 6m 41.02s. 30.051pts, 2; Jessica Lusby (Matiere) 6m 30.3s, 3; Holly Bird (Taihape) 8m 41.36s, 35.568pts, 4; Aimee Atkin (Eketāhuna) 7m 40.27s, 36.514pts, 5; Briar Joines (Kawhia) 7m 24.58s, 38.729pts, 6
Women’s final (6 sheep): Laura Bradley (Papatawa) 7m 45.39s, 28.103pts, 1; Sarah Bryant (Arohena) 8m 17.95s, 32.064pts, 2; Jodiesha Kirkpatrick (Gisborne) 8m 35.95s, 35.132pts, 3; Lydia Thomson (Rangiora) 10m 4.05s, 39.203pts, 4; Sonya Fagan (Te Kūiti) 8m 55.84s, 39.79spts, 5; Ashlin Swann (Wairoa) 11m 36.14s, 47.307pts, 6.
Development teams relay (2 sheep each): King Country (Sarah Bryant 3m 23.14s, 19.657pts; Chloe Bingham 4m 53.55s, 23.278pts; Sonya Fagan 3m 10.28s, 25.014pts) 67.849pts, beat North Canterbury-Marlborough (Tye Meikle 3m 47.3s, 19.365pts; Holly Crombie 4m 23.22s, 28.661pts; Ella Caves 3m 11.2s) 80.586pts.
Contractors Relay (10 sheep): Balme and Son (Digger Balme, Jack Fagan, Josh Balme) 10m 44.05s, 37.903pts, 1; D and H Shearing 10m 59.58s, 39.879pts, 2; C.T. Shearing 10m 43.13s, 40.257pts, 2; Barrowcliffe Shearing No 1 11m 41.94s, 40.697pts, 4; Taumata Shearing 11m 30.11s, 43.206pts, 5; Monk Shearing No 2 11m 23.48s, 48.374pts, 6.
Whānau Dads and Sons (6 sheep): David Fagan/Jack Fagan (Te Kūiti) 6m 28.33s, 28.084pts, 1; David Buick/Michael Buick (Pongaroa) 7m 31.52s, 30.076pts, 2; Digger Balme/Josh Balme (Ōtorohanga) 7m 46.98s, 31.182pts, 3; Justin Meikle and Tye Meikle (Ōamaru) 7m 9.16s, 31.624pts, 4; Riki Alabaster and Reuben Alabaster (Taihape) 7m 22.34s, 32.451pts, 5; Shane Ratima and Orlando Ratima (Hunterville) 8m 3.78s, 36.022pts, 6.,
Open final (6 sheep): Keryn Herbert (Te Kūiti) 58.592pts, 1; Logan Kamura (Marton) 68.742pts, 2; Pagan Rimene (Alexandra) 77.92pts, 3; Joel Henare (Gisborne/Motueka) 78.16pts, 4; Marika Braddick (Eketāhuna) 88.49pts, 5.
Senior final (5 sheep): Kelly Barrett (Kawhia) 91.4pts, 1; Amy Bell (Weber) 99.99pts, 2; Te Whetu Brown (Wairoa) 114.74pts, 3; Alice Otimi (Taumarunui) 119.96pts, 4; Sonya Fagan (Te Kūiti) 120.554pts, 5.
Junior final (4 sheep): Laura Bradley (Papatawa) 1; Jayda Millanta (Te Kaha/Tauranga) 2; Paige Marshall (Te Awamutu) 3; Jodiesha Kirkpatrick (Gisborne) 4; Ffion Haf Jones (Wales) 5.
Novice final: Opal Ramsay-Houpapa (Pongaroa) 1; Harry Tipene Jones (-) 2; Cordell Boyd (Taumarunui) 3; Marieke Muller (Otorohanga) 4; Gwen Rata (Taumarunui) 5.
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