Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • 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

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

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

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

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 / Hawkes Bay Today

Hawke's Bay farmers are crying out for rain. One man's begging for it to hold off a few more days

By Doug Laing
Hawkes Bay Today·
4 Jun, 2019 02:03 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

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Colin Watson-Paul really needs the rain to hold off a few more days. Photo / File

Colin Watson-Paul really needs the rain to hold off a few more days. Photo / File

Farmers are crying out for rain but not-so shearing contractor Colin Watson-Paul who wants anything but wet as he plans a sendoff for two Hawke's Bay shearers heading for their world championships.

Up to 3000 sheep are to be shorn in two Brownrigg Agriculture woolsheds south of Hastings on Saturday to support former World titleholders Rowland Smith, of Maraekakaho, and Cam Ferguson, of Waipukurau, the machine shearers in the New Zealand shearing and woolhandling team for the championships in Le Dorat, France on July 1-7.

The pair then face four test matches against Wales later in the month.

But MetService forecasts, after one of the driest Mays on record, are now for showers and rain in Hawke's Bay over the next five days, threatening availability of dry sheep, if they are unable to be penned under cover for sufficient time beforehand.

The rain map for Hawke's Bay in May, highlighting rainfall under a quarter of average for much of the plains and coastal region. Source/Hawke's Bay Regional Council
The rain map for Hawke's Bay in May, highlighting rainfall under a quarter of average for much of the plains and coastal region. Source/Hawke's Bay Regional Council
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Despite the end of the first week of June consistently bringing rain to the Bay each year, an optimistic Watson-Paul said:

"Farmers definitely need the rain but I don't think they're going to get it this time ... Well, not just yet. If it rains and we can't get the sheep in dry it's off. I think we'll be alright."

Watson Paul said Saturday's a big chance for the Hawke's Bay shearing industry to "get-in behind" the pair, who've put in "years of back-breaking work" and brought global recognition to the region and New Zealand's wool industry through exploits including Ferguson's World title in Wales in 2010 and Smith's triumph in Ireland four years later.

Travel and accommodation are provided for the Shearing Sports New Zealand team, which at the World championships also includes two woolhandlers and two blade shearers.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

But the Flaxmere contractor, who has organised other shearing big days out for charity, says competitors still need some sort of weekly income. Both Smith and Ferguson employ shearing crews, and thus have businesses and families to maintain while they are away.

"These are not professional sportsmen like All Blacks paid thousands of dollars a week while they're away," Watson-Paul said. "These people give up a lot of their livelihood to represent their country, and an industry which is a huge part of our economy."

Discover more

Opinion

Middle NZ: Be mindful of our planet

04 Jun 08:00 PM

Shearing crew pitch in for others

18 Jun 03:14 AM

Bringing farm tales close to home

18 Jun 03:20 AM

He said at least nine shearing stands will be used as dozens of woolshed workers donate their time to the cause.

"It will take us back to the days when whole farming communities came out to help send our All Blacks away on their three-month tours, when they weren't paid for playing," he said.

Hastings has had just over 16mm of rain in the last five weeks, barely 20 per cent of the average for the period.

According to the Hawke's Bay Regional Council monthly rain report, rainfall in May was less than half the May average from the Ruataniwha Plains of Central Hawke's Bay to Wairoa in the north, and less than a quarter of average in many places. It was also well below average in the river tributary areas in the ranges.

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Premium
Hawkes Bay Today

Replacements for bulldozed state homes in heart of Napier suburb cut by Govt

02 Jul 06:17 PM
Hawkes Bay Today

'Go for your dreams': 22-year-old korowai maker reaching international markets

02 Jul 06:00 PM
Hawkes Bay Today

Stephen Hoyle to swap NZ amateur league football for pro A-League

02 Jul 05:00 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 Hawkes Bay Today

Premium
Replacements for bulldozed state homes in heart of Napier suburb cut by Govt

Replacements for bulldozed state homes in heart of Napier suburb cut by Govt

02 Jul 06:17 PM

Mayor: 'The people of Maraenui deserve better. They've waited over a decade for action.'

'Go for your dreams': 22-year-old korowai maker reaching international markets

'Go for your dreams': 22-year-old korowai maker reaching international markets

02 Jul 06:00 PM
Stephen Hoyle to swap NZ amateur league football for pro A-League

Stephen Hoyle to swap NZ amateur league football for pro A-League

02 Jul 05:00 PM
Premium
Asterisks, footnotes and claims of 'weasel words': Inside the battle for region's housing future

Asterisks, footnotes and claims of 'weasel words': Inside the battle for region's housing future

02 Jul 07:00 AM
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
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • 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