National Shearing Circuit: North Otago’s Justin Meikle a surprise qualifier

North Otago farmer and part-time shearer Justin Meikle in the heats at the Pahiatua Shears on Sunday, February 23. Photo / Shearing Sports NZ

North Otago farmer and shearer Justin Meikle is the surprise qualifier for the final rounds of the PGG Wrightson Vetmed 52nd National Shearing Circuit, which will be shorn on Saturday, the last of the three days at the 2025 Golden Shears in Masterton.

Meikle, 58, decided to enter the five-round circuit as he hit the road again to support teenage son Tye’s pursuit of junior titles around the country.

After a competition break of more than 15 years, Meikle snr has had top-12 finishes on fine wool at the New Zealand Merino Championships in Alexandra at the end of September and long wool at the Waimate Spring Shears a week later.

This put him in the running, despite missing the New Zealand Corriedales Championships in Christchurch in November and the lamb shearing round at the Rangitikei Shearing Sports in Marton earlier this month.

He hit the last of the qualifiers at the Pahiatua Shears with little more than a bolter’s show, with just eight points to his name and the qualifying dozen expected to bottom out at about 17 points.

A door opened when former New Zealand representative Stacey Te Huia, on 13 points, was unable to compete in the north.

Meikle did the rest, claiming seven points to swing into Saturday morning’s semifinals and the possibility of a place in the top six for the final on Saturday night.

This comes 21 years after his one previous run on the big night in the 2004 final, won by Southland shearer Darin Forde.

Fresh from taking part in a charity shearing event on Monday, Meikle said he had weighed up his chances before heading north for the big week.

“I had a bit of a look and did some rough maths,” he said.

“I knew would need a good qualifying shear.

“I was told Stacey wasn’t coming to Goldies so that definitely gave me a glimmer of hope. Very happy to have made it.”

However, Meikle wasn’t fully prepared for the outcome – he didn’t bring all of the gear necessary to tackle all five wool types in one day.

Reckoning he didn’t want to “jinx” himself by bringing any fine wool combs, Meikle said he rang his “old mate”, New Zealand merino shearing legend and 1997 winner, Dion Morrell.

“He’s got me some fine wool combs,” he said.

“He’s already in Masterton ... funny how he has combs with him. I guess that’s just him.”

Meikle was already in for a busy time, among the 92 set for the Golden Shears open heats on Friday afternoon, and with a background of four wins during the season in smaller shows and finals placings among the stronger company, he is a prospect to make the top-30 quarterfinal shootout on Friday night.

But he’s also got the next step in the journey of 17-year-old Tye, a favourite to take the Golden Shears junior title, with 12 wins so far this season, from Gore in the south to Whangārei in the north.

Defending and three-time champion Nathan Stratford heads the field, with 57 out of a maximum possible 60 points, with third-place points in the opening round, second-best in the next, and the maximum 12 in each of the last three.

Te Kuiti shearer, 2024 New Zealand Shears Te Kuiti Circuit winner and current New Zealand representative Jack Fagan qualified in second place.

Qualifying in third place is former world, Golden Shears and multiple Scots champion Gavin Mutch, who has been based in New Zealand for much of the last 25 years, in Taranaki and Hawke’s Bay.

The line-up also includes three-times winner Angus Moore, from Marlborough; Hawke’s Bay shearer John Kirkpatrick, who is trying to win the circuit’s McSkimming Memorial Triple Crown for a third time; Roxbugh-based Southland shearer and 2021 winner Leon Samuels; and Masterton shearer Paerata Abraham, whose 2019 win was the biggest for host region Wairarapa in the history of the Golden Shears.

Six South Island shearers made it into the top 12.

PGG Wrightson Vetmed National Shearing Circuit qualifiers in order are: Nathan Stratford (Invercargill) 57pts, 1; Jack Fagan (Te Kuiti) 44pts, 2; Gavin Mutch (Scotland/Dannevirke) 31pts, 3; Leon Samuels (Roxburgh) 29pts, 4; Angus Moore (Ward) 26pts, 5; Axle Reid (Taihape/Waipawa) 24pts, 6; Hemi Braddick (Eketahuna) 24pts, 7; Casey Bailey (Riverton) 24pts, 8; John Kirkpatrick (Pakipaki) 20pts, 9; Alex Smith (Rakaia) 19pts, 10; Paerata Abraham (Masterton) 18pts, 11; Justin Meikle (Oamaru) 15pts, 12.