Hawke’s Bay Autumn Shears: Rowland Smith wins open final ahead of Golden Shears

Rowland Smith on his way to winning his eighth Golden Shears open final in March 2023. Photo /Pete Nikolaison

The 63rd Golden Shears starts in Masterton tomorrow, with close to 500 competitors.

The event begins with possibly greater anticipation than in the past decade over its glamour open shearing championship, after yesterday’s triumph by eight-time winner Rowland Smith at the Hawke’s Bay Autumn Shears in Waipukurau.

Most telling was the quality of the shear, as the 38-year-old Hawke’s Bay farmer and agricultural contractor took an afternoon off from his tractor to test the gear for this week’s challenge from hopefuls including David Buick, who won at the Taumarunui Jamboree Shears on Friday, Toa Henderson who won at Apiti on Saturday and defending Golden Shears champion Leon Samuels, winner at the Pahiatua Shears on Sunday.

Smith missed the weekend events, and last year’s Golden Shears, while absent from yesterday’s prelude were Henderson and Samuels, the well-travelled Henderson heading to New Plymouth to support his wife and other whanau in their pursuits at Te Matatini before heading to Masterton to join about 90 other shearers in the open championship heats on Friday.

Thus, Tuesday’s event became a showdown between Smith and Buick, who won the New Zealand Shears open final in Te Kuiti last April, aged 45, his first win since being critically injured in a farm accident in October 2021.

Buick won the five-man race, shearing the 20-sheep in 16m 55.72s, but Smith was next off, 15 seconds later, a 0.763pts time points deficit, which, with quality points still to come, would never be enough when the 2m tall Smith has his combs and cutters primed to the moment.

“They would have jumped a bit when they saw him turn up,” said one woolshed veteran.

Smith’s 1.85 quality points were advantage enough to carry the day by over a point – a comfortable margin in the wider picture.

Marlborough shearer Angus Moore was more than two points further away in third place, fourth was Waipawa shearer Axle Reid, who has never won an open final, and fifth was Hawke’s Bay gun John Kirkpatrick, who at the age of 54 showed he’s still in the frame for a possible fifth Golden Shears open title.

Southern Hawke’s Bay mum Laura Bradley continued on her winning away to card victory No. 9 for the season, the most ever by a female shearer in the second-to-top grade and putting her right in line to become the first woman to win the senior title at the Golden Shears.

But she was closely followed by Ōamaru shearer John Cherrington, Taelor Tarrant, from King Country, and Southland shearer Dre Roberts, with just 1.409pts between the first four.

Te Kuiti’s Keryn Herbert won the open woolhandling final, her fourth win of the season, but absent was Joel Henare, who is expected to be going for an 11th Golden Shears open title this week.

Also missing were other South Island hopes Pagan Rimene and Foonie Waihape.

Hawke’s Bay Autumn Shears shearing and woolhandling results

Waipukurau, Tuesday, February 25, 2025

Shearing:

Open final (20 sheep): Rowland Smith (Maraekakaho) 17m 10.97s, 56.399pts, 1; David Buick (Pongaroa) 16m 55.72s, 57.486pts, 2; Angus Moore (Ward) 17m 35.32s, 59.616pts, 3; Axle Reid (Taihape/Waipawa) 18m 6.86s, 60.983pts, 4; John Kirkpatrick (Pakipaki) 18m 5.72s, 61.236pts, 5.

Senior final (10 sheep): Laura Bradley (Papatawa) 13m 15.75s, 47.088pts, 1; John Cherrington (Oamaru) 13m 5.43s, 47.972pts, 2; Taelor Tarrant (Mapiu) 12m 23.51s, 48.376pts, 3; Dre Roberts (Mataura)13m 11.94s, 48.497pts, 4; Blake Mitchell (Pātea) 13m 7.81s, 51.491pts, 5.

Intermediate final (6 sheep): Kaivah Cooper (Napier) 7m 47.75s, 29.888pts, 1; Ryka Swann (Wairoa) 7m 13.85s, 32.193pts, 2; Lachie Cameron (Pohangina) 8m 46.69s, 33.335pts, 3; Paddy Dunne (Wicklow, Ireland) 7m 36.75s, 33.338pts, 4; Thomas Marchant (Maramarua) 8m 57.5s, 36.708pts, 5.

Junior final (4 sheep): Jodiesha Kirkpatrick (Gisborne) 6m 3.22s, 24.661pts, 1; Tye Meikle (Oamaru) 5m 53.25s, 25.163pts, 2; Sean Dunne (Wicklow, Ireland) 6m 52.81s, 30.141pts, 3; Waiari Puna (Napier) 7m 22.32s, 33.866pts, 4; Ashlin Swann (Wairoa) 8m 51.53s, 36.327pts, 5.

Woolhandling:

Open final: Keryn Herbert (Te Kuiti) 54.42pts, 1; Te Anna Phillips (Taumarunui) 56.28pts, 2; Ricci Stevens (Napier) 66.56pts, 3; Vinniye Phillips (Taumarunui) 70.65pts, 4; Nova Kumeroa (Mataura) 107.28pts, 5.

Senior final: Chloe Henderson (Hunterville) 54.1pts, 1; Tatijana Keefe (Raupunga) 55.16pts, 2; Kelly Barrett (Kawhia) 59.85pts, 3; Amy Bell (Weber) 62.31pts, 4; Mere Maraki (Flaxmere) 74.78pts, 5.

Junior final: Jodiesha Kirkpatrick (Gisborne) 45.47pts, 1; Waiari Puna (Napier) 48.738pts, 2; Jayda Millanta (Tauranga) 50.1pts, 3; Laura Bradley (Papatawa) 51.15pts, 4; Paige Marshall 69.4pts, 5.