Covid 19 Delta outbreak: West Otago, Golden Bay A and P Show shearing champs cancelled

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The West Otago A and P Show shearing championships, which were to have been held later this month, have been cancelled.

The society "reluctantly agreed" to the cancellation at a meeting on Saturday night, it said in a statement.

The decision was made due to the uncertainty around Covid and its current restrictions.

As a result, the November 21 show at the Tapanui Racing Club and Showgrounds complex will include just equestrian events, sheep dog trials and farm fencing, all limited to competitors only.

The Shears' cancellation is the ninth among the 16 mainly A and P show competitions on the pre-Christmas Shearing Sports New Zealand calendar, with the pandemic now also biting into the New Year, with at least one cancellation in January already announced.

The 125th anniversary Golden Bay A and P Show, including its annual shearing competition, was to have been held at Takaka on January 15.

"Due to the uncertainty of the Covid-19 restrictions and the severity of the Delta strain we feel unable to hold the show safely," its committee statement said.

Shows still to be held pre-Christmas are all expected to be run under Covid-19 level 2 alert conditions, without general public admission - as have been the three competitions that have already taken place.

The calendar for shearing sports events still going ahead pre-Christmas is:

November 6: Marlborough A and P Show (shearing only), at Blenheim; Gymkhana Shears (shearing only), at Pleasant Point.

November 11-12: Canterbury Shears (New Zealand Corriedale Shearing and Woolhandling Championships), at Christchurch.

November 20: Nelson A and P Show (shearing only), at Richmond Park, Nelson.