Koro Mullins Memorial Speed Shear to be held in Dannevirke

The late Koro Mullins with wife Mavis commentating at the A&P Show Shearing 2019. Photo / Christine McKay

The life of shearing industry and competitions legend Koro Mullins will be commemorated at the Dannevirke A and P Show's speed shear tonight.

The Koro Mullins Memorial Speed Shear will be held at the Dannevirke Showgrounds, following the day's annual Dannevirke A and P Shearing and Woolhandling Championships, and will start at 6.30pm.

The event builds on the speed shear established by the Aotea Sports Club, of which shearing commentator, former shearer and contractor Mullins was also a stalwart.

It will be the first of three Shearing Sports New Zealand affiliated speed shears in less than a week.

The West Coast of the South Island gets its moment in the Reefton show's speed shear on Saturday night at the Ikamatua Hotel, starting at 7pm.

The next round is the King Country's James Ritchies memorial series and will be held at the Aria Cosmopolitan Club next Wednesday night.

They're part of yet another busy few days on the Shearing Sports New Zealand calendar, kicked-off by the Dannevirke A and P Show Shears on Friday, with shearing and woolhandling in all grades from open to novice, starting at 8.30am.

The second show in the ANZ Northland Teams Championship is part of the North Kaipara A and P Show shearing on Saturday, starting at 10.30am.

Also on Saturday are the Rangitikei Shearing sports shearing and woolhandling, starting at 8.30am and including the fourth round of the PGG Wrightson Wool national Shearing Circuit, and the weekend's only South Island competition, the Reefton A and P Show shears, which start at 9.30am.

The historic Aria Waitangi Day Sports are next Thursday, with shearing and woolhandling starting at 8.30am.

They will be followed two days later by the Otago Shears in Balclutha, the first of a long-standing big-four, including the Southern Shears in Gore (February 14-15), Pahiatua Shears (March 1) and the 60th Golden Shears in Masterton (March 4-7).