Listen: Tom Wilson on shearing selection controversy

Chairman of the 2017 World Shearing and Woolhandling Champs, Tom Wilson, talks to Jamie Mackay on today's edition of The Country about the controversial omission of Rowland Smith from the New Zealand shearing team.

Smith had won five of six qualifying events over 10 months but "missed out on the day", narrowly beaten by Southland's Nathan Stratford to the second machine shearing spot on the team.

Listen to the full interview above

Stratford said in an interview with The Hits Southland he was shocked at making the team.

"I stood there just amazed for a second or two. Nearly cried."

Stratford explained the selection process, saying the contenders competed in six qualifying events.

The six with the most points competed in a six-man shear-off at the Canterbury A&P Show last week. Stratford just scraped in by less than a second.

Stratford joins Hawke's Bay shearer John Kirkpatrick in the team for the world champs.

Kirkpatrick and fellow Hawke's Bay shearer Smith were the machine shearing representatives at the last championships in Ireland in 2014, when Smith won the individual final but was beaten by Scotland and Wales in the teams final.

The 2017 championships will be held in Invercargill from February 8 to 11.