Shearing: Judges line up for huge weekend

Shearing judges taking a break from a busy day at the Ellesmere A and P Show in Canterbury in October. Photo / Supplied

The busiest weekend on the Shearing Sports New Zealand calendar will put significant pressure on judging resources throughout the country, but it will be done.

That's the promise from Shearing Sports New Zealand season and former shearing great Sir David Fagan.

Fagan, now a qualified competitions judge, will be donning the shirt and tie to officiate at the Wairoa A and P Show, one of six competitions throughout the country from Friday to Saturday.

There are almost 200 qualified shearing and woolhandling judges nationwide, with sponsorship from CP Wool to ensure they're uniformly-attired around the 59 venues at which they officiate from October to April.

Leading official Philip Morrison calculates about 60 will be in action over the next few days.

They are part of the sport's large volunteer force which puts in huge miles to judge at and help the competitions, symbolised by the 370km-each-way journeys to Wairoa for Fagan and fellow King Country judges Ian Buchanan and Tod Oliver.

It's not like a trip down to the local park to referee a game of rugby or umpire a game of cricket, as Fagan explained: "To get near a third of our judges involved in one weekend is quite unique".

He first qualified and judged while still competing in the early 2000s.

"I do a bit to keep in touch" said Fagan ahead of his first trip to Wairoa since his competition days, when he was usually unable to compete in the northern Hawke's Bay show because it clashed with major events in Southland.

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Fagan will be judging at the Southern Shears in Gore next month.

Speaking of Southland, it will be a particularly busy in the region over the next few days, with five big events, starting on Friday with the Northern Southland Community Shears (shearing/ woolhandling).

It's particularly busy in Southland over the next few days, with five big events, starting on Friday with the Northern Southland Community Shears shearing and woolhandling championships.

Both are occurring in the same venue for the first time - the Selby family woolshed at Five Rivers, near Lumsden.

In recent years the show was held in the Lumsden hall, with woolhandling in one shed and shearing in another on different days.

There is also the Southland Shears and national crossbred lamb shearing and woolhandling championships at the Winton A and P Show on Saturday.

There is also hotel Speed Shear events on Thursday night at the Railway Hotel, Otautau, and Winton's Middle Pub on Friday night.

Then on Sunday there is a fundraising shearing day-out in a Waimumu woolshed, with all proceeds being donated to breast cancer research.

Other shearing competitions taking place around the country this weekend are the Kaikohe Agricultural, Pastoral and Horticultural Show in Northland, the Wairoa show and the Golden Bay A and P Show at Takaka on Saturday, while Sunday features the Horowhenua Agricultural, Pastoral and Industrial Show in Levin.