Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

Farmers dogs gear up for annual Shemozzle

By Teresa Grant
Whanganui Chronicle·
4 Oct, 2017 03:00 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Shemozzle winner Adam Coe picks up a bull's testicle back in 2012. Photo/Bevan Conley

Shemozzle winner Adam Coe picks up a bull's testicle back in 2012. Photo/Bevan Conley

The annual Hunterville Huntaway Festival is almost upon us, and the 20th Anniversary Event promises to be the most spectacular yet.

For those who haven't heard of the event, it may seem strange that the small Rangitikei township of some 430 people attracts 5000 to 8000 visitors to a huntaway dog trial.

However, the dog trial itself is but one event in an action-packed day whose main drawcard is the Shemozzle.

The Shemozzle was thought up over a bottle of wine by three Hunterville locals, Tony Theed, Richard Horrocks and Thomas Powell. Having found the Hunterville Village Fair to be failing in its aim to draw town and country together, they set about finding a replacement event.

After some to-ing and fro-ing the wine had run out but they had invented the Shemozzle -- a race for shepherds and their dogs, involving obstacles and "Mount Nigel, a pretty steep hill".

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Te Moana Sidney and Fuzz from Otiwhiti Station make their way through the marsh at the 2012 Shemozzle. Photo/Bevan Conley
Te Moana Sidney and Fuzz from Otiwhiti Station make their way through the marsh at the 2012 Shemozzle. Photo/Bevan Conley

The race itself is a gruelling obstacle course, which must be completed with trusty huntaway dog at side. Shepherds don burlap sacks, throw themselves down muddy hillsides, pick up unmentionable parts of bulls with their teeth, and push their dogs down the street in wheelbarrows.

The man-and-dog team who cross the finish line first, and with all of the requirements completed, win the prestigious title and great prizes. Competitors come from as far as the South Island to this one-of-a-kind event, and it is a great family day out for spectators and participants alike.

The event has grown over the last 20 years, and there are now several categories: Family Shemozzle, Children's Shemozzle, Teens' Shemozzle and the main race of the day, the Shepherds' Shemozzle.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The festivities are complemented by Freestyle Motocross, the Shearing Contractors' Challenge and of course, the dog trial -- and there is a marquee with bar and band to finish off the day.

For the youngest visitors there are bouncy castles and face-painting; and for parents the Plunket Rooms will be open to provide a space for feeding and changing babies.

Entries opened on the 1st of August, and the Children's and Teens' events were sold out within days.

There are still a very few spots left for the Shepherds' Shemozzle however, so if you think you have what it takes -- and you can prove your dog is a Huntaway -- you can still be in it to win it.

The 20th Annual Hunterville Huntaway Festival takes place onOctober 28 from 11.30am, on Bruce St, Hunterville.

More information can be found at www.shemozzle.co.nz.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

'He's just scared of me': Teen's Māori wards challenge to PM

06 Jul 03:55 AM
Whanganui Chronicle

Brazen hammer heist: Police hunt jewel thief, staff distressed after store raid

05 Jul 05:11 AM
Whanganui Chronicle

Kāinga Ora needs to be ‘responsive to need’, says minister

04 Jul 06:00 PM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

'He's just scared of me': Teen's Māori wards challenge to PM

'He's just scared of me': Teen's Māori wards challenge to PM

06 Jul 03:55 AM

Chris Hipkins agreed to meet him in Wellington after the Prime Minister said 'no'.

Brazen hammer heist: Police hunt jewel thief, staff distressed after store raid

Brazen hammer heist: Police hunt jewel thief, staff distressed after store raid

05 Jul 05:11 AM
Kāinga Ora needs to be ‘responsive to need’, says minister

Kāinga Ora needs to be ‘responsive to need’, says minister

04 Jul 06:00 PM
Work begins on key phase of port project

Work begins on key phase of port project

04 Jul 06:00 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP