Hawke’s Bay shearing’s big weekend in the UK

Former Hawke's Bay shearer Matt Smith, now an award-winning farmer in England, after winning two major shearing titles at the Golden Shears of Great Britain at the weekend.

Hawke’s Bay’s shearing prowess has dominated on the international stage in the UK.

It was led by former Hawke’s Bay shearer Matt Smith, now an award-winning farmer in Cornwall, who triumphed in the two major events at the Royal Bath & West Show at Shepton Mallet, Somerset.

He won the Golden Shears of Great Britain for a third time, and the England National final. The runner-up was English shearer Nick Greaves, who has worked for Napier contractor Brendan Mahony.

Smith, who set a world eight-hour strongwool ewes record in Hawke’s Bay in 2010 and remains the holder of the nine-hour record shorn in 2016 at Trefranck, which he farms with wife Pippa, will return to New Zealand during the summer to represent England at the 2026 Golden Shears world championships in Masterton.

He also represented his adopted homeland at the 2023 championships in Scotland, where the opposition included his brother, Hawke’s Bay shearer, New Zealand representative and 2014 champion Rowland Smith.

Stuart Connor, who moved to Hawke’s Bay from England two years ago but is currently in the UK vying with Greaves for England’s second machine-shearing place in Masterton, was acclaimed a UK Master Shearer at the Bath & West Show.

Tararua district farmer, Scotland international, 2012 world champion and reigning Hawke’s Bay show Great Raihania Shears Open champion Gavin Mutch, who has lived in New Zealand for more than 20 years, was third in the European championship final in Connacht, Ireland.

First and second were Welsh world champions Richard Jones and Gwion Evans.

Bruce Grace, from Wairoa, was third in the senior final at the Lesmahagow Show in Scotland on Saturday.

Doug Laing is a senior reporter based in Napier with Hawke’s Bay Today, and has 52 years of journalism experience, 42 of them in Hawke’s Bay, in news gathering, including breaking news, sports, local events, issues, and personalities.