Taihape Shears shifts to Central North Island’s Erewhon Station after heavy rain

Rowland Smith, seen here winning the Taihape Shears open final last year, will be competing at Erewhon this weekend. Photo / Shearing Sports New Zealand

Central North Island sheep station Erewhon will host the Taihape Shears on Saturday after the traditional venue in Taihape was ruled out because of this week’s heavy rain.

Attracting 200 entries, the Taihape Shears is one of the biggest one-day events in the Shearing Sports New Zealand season.

The championships include the last preliminary rounds of two selection series to find New Zealand’s machine shearers and woolhandlers for the Golden Shears World Championships in Masterton on March 4-7.

Erewhon is approximately 17km from Taihape, located east of Moawhango on the Napier-Taihape road.

Events will start at 8am, with a non-stop programme throughout the day.

The Taihape Speed Shear is also taking place tonight at Utiku Rugby Club, with registrations opening at 6pm and shearing at 7pm.

Shearing Sports New Zealand chairman Warren Parker commended Taihape Shearing Sports Inc. and chairman Hayden Tapp for ensuring the Shears on Saturday goes ahead.

Heavy rain has made it almost impossible to get sheep trucks in and out of the traditional venue at Memorial Park, Taihape.

“The amount of work that is going into making this change, at such a late stage, is huge, will take another day or two out of people’s lives, and shows the strength of this community,” he said.

Today, the committee is working to move essential gear from Memorial Park to set up at Erewhon.

The entries comprise 144 shearers and 56 woolhandlers, including many from overseas, as the season gathers pace ahead of the World Championships just over five weeks away.

The Shears have been held annually for more than 60 years, mainly as a feature of the town’s Taihape A&P Show.

Particular resilience was shown at the 60^th anniversary in 2023, when heavy rain overnight and on the day cancelled everything at the show apart from the Shears, which went ahead with tractors hauling the sheep trucks in and out.

Also being held this weekend is the shearing-only Tapawera Shears south of Nelson, on Saturday, starting at 10am.