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Pongaroa farmer and shearer David Buick brought off possibly one of the most amazing comebacks in New Zealand sport by winning the New Zealand Shears Open shearing final in Te Kuiti on Saturday, less than three years after a farm accident left him fighting for his life and wondering if he would ever walk again.
David Buick, almost killed in a farm accident south of Dannevirke in October 2021, bouncing back to win the New Zealand Shears Open shearing final in Te Kuiti last Saturday. Photo / Doug Laing
The accident happened when he was crushed in a collapsing ditch during drainage excavation on his farm on October 20, 2021, buried up to his chin in sodden dirt. The recently acclaimed No 1-ranked shearer in New Zealand was left fighting for his life, and ultimately wondering if he’d ever walk again.
With complex pelvic fractures and other injuries, he was flown out of the remote countryside east of Pahīatua in critical condition, spending 10 days in Wellington Hospital and another 10 days in Palmerston North Hospital.
Ultimately he spent more than six weeks recuperating in Eileen Mary Residential Care Centre retirement home in Dannevirke to be closer to wife Rebecca, son Michael and daughter Gemma, and determined to be home by Christmas.
Later, recalling how he’d at first worried about not being on hand for a school event, or working the farm and running the shearing business, he came to wonder about how he may have become “burnt-out” in the combination of shearing all day and “farming at night … pretty much”.
But the real battle had become getting into a wheelchair and eventually getting out.
Now known among the fraternity as “the miracle man”, he did learn to walk again, and 12 months ago in Te Kuiti shore in a father-and-son contest with Michael and surprised even himself by qualifying for the 2023 Open quarterfinals, and suddenly having to shear more sheep than in all the time since the accident.
The story is told as shearer David Buick (right), with wife Rebecca, recounts the near-fatal farm accident and the recovery during an on-the-couch interview with fellow shearer Digger Balme (left), 24 hours before Buick won the Open final. Photo / Doug Laing
Clearly, it wasn’t enough for a man once so committed to shearing and proud to represent his country, flying to the UK at a moment’s notice in 2019 as a national team replacement, not knowing if he’d ever be reimbursed the airfare.
In October he was runner-up in the Great Raihania Shears Open final at the Hawke’s Bay Show, beaten by just 0.05 of a point. On March 2 he spread-eagled the Golden Shears Open final by shearing 20 sheep in 16m 16.064s, beating four of the other five by more than a sheep, but having to settle for third place in the final count, and on Saturday afternoon he and Michael won the 2024 whānau event in Te Kuiti.
The big win came on Saturday night when, after also shearing earlier in the day in the heats, quarterfinals and semi-finals, he was a minute in the 20-sheep showdown than he was in his Masterton effort, but beaten to the finish only by Northland shearer Toa Henderson, who shore one of the fastest 20-sheep finals in New Zealand history in finishing in 14min 59.75sec.
With the better quality, the 45-year-old Buick ultimately had a winning margin of just 0.504 points in his first win since the North Island Shearer of the Year final in Te Kuiti on April 9, 2021, an 11th win in 2020-2021, making him the No 1-ranked Open shearer for that season.
He had also been a multiple New Zealand representative and national lambs shearing titles winner, was in August last year acclaimed a Master Shearer by Shearing Sports New Zealand, and has now won 33 finals since first appearing in the Open class in 2002.
Henderson was runner-up for a second year in a row, a night after 2023-2024 win No 13, in the North Island Shearer of the Year final, and being named No 1-ranked Open shearer for the season, while third was defending champion Samuels.
There were emotional scenes after the win was announced by arena commentator Norm Harraway, even the beaten finalists appearing as happy as the victor, who said afterwards he didn’t know if he’d ever had the dream of winning such a big title again after the death-defying extremes of the last two years and six months.
But he had long harboured the “secret dream” of one day becoming the first shearer to complete a sequence of wins in the four grades at Te Kuiti, following wins in the Junior final in 1997, the Intermediate grade in 1999, and the Senior final in 2002.
The back-story was first revealed publicly in Hawke’s Bay Today last year as the family became confident of a full recovery, although on Saturday night Buick was in wonderment as to how he had shorn better, and more successfully, than when he was “100 per cent”.
He said that at the time of the accident, he’d stood upright, and it probably saved his life.
Further detail emerged in a printed championships programme feature, and in an on-the-couch interview he and Rebecca had with shearing veteran-turned commentator Digger Balme before special guests at the shears 24 hours before the big win.
After the victory, amid wellwishers reckoning there should be a movie, he confirmed he will take his place in the New Zealand team in the UK this year with Te Kuiti shearer Jack Fagan, who won his place with victory in the New Zealand Shears Circuit final, an event won 17 times between 1985 and 2010 by father and shearing legend Sir David Fagan, currently president of the New Zealand Shearing Championships Society and chairman of national body Shearing Sports New Zealand.
Napier shearer Kaivah Cooper, winner of the Golden Shears Junior shearing final on March 2, the New Zealand Shears Junior final on Friday, and the No 1-ranked Junior shearer in New Zealand for the season. Photo / Doug Laing
The big win for Hawke’s Bay came in the Junior shearing final, where Napier shearer Kaivah Cooper completed a winning Golden Shears and New Zealand Shears double, and clearly the No Junior ranking for the season. George Peacock, of Dannevirke, was fourth, while in the Novice final Smedley farm cadet Rebecca Dickson, from Hunterville, was third, Shawna Swann, of Wairoa, was fourth, and Jess Parkhouse, of Napier, was fifth.
It was also a triumphant night for Te Kuiti woolhandler and farmer Keryn Herbert who claimed the New Zealand Shears Open woolhandling title, in an all-King Country trifecta, with second place going to 2013 winner Hanatia Tipene, of Te Kuiti, but originally from Porangahau.
Laura Bradley, from Papatawa, between Dannevirke and Woodville, further established herself as the top shearer in the small number of women’s events, retaining the NZ Shear title she won last year and adding the ribbon to that won at the Golden Shears last month.
On Friday night, Welsh shearer Gethin Lewis, who works for Napier contractor Brendan Mahony, figured in an historic first Wales win over New Zealand in a shearing match in New Zealand. Results from the 38th New Zealand Shears shearing and woolhandling championships at Te Kuiti on Thursday-Saturday, April 4-6:
Wools of New Zealand International Shearing Series, Third Test (20 lambs): Wales (Gethin Lewis 16m 7.23s, 55.912pts, 1; Llyr Jones 16m 19.7s, 62.685pts) 119.597pts, beat New Zealand (David Gordon 16m 18.97s, 57.949pts; Paerata Abraham 15m 43.72s, 61.836pts) 119.785pts, by 0.188pts. New Zealand won the series 2-1.
New Zealand Shears Circuit final (15 sheep – 5 merino, 5 second-shear, 5 lambs): Jack Fagan (Te Kuiti) 16m 50.69s, 67.535pts, 1; Toa Henderson (Kaiwaka) 16m 11.63s, 68.248pts, 2; Leon Samuels (Invercargill/Roxburgh) 16m 30.23s, 70.246pts, 3; Matene Mason (Masterton) 18m 11.61s, 72.848pts, 4; David Gordon (Masterton) 18m 21.95s, 73.232pts, 5; Paerata Abraham (Masterton) 18m 1.91s, 73.563pts, 6.
North Island Shearer of the Year final (20 sheep – 10 ewes, 10 lambs): Toa Henderson (Kaiwaka) 14m 47.84s, 55.642pts, 1; David Buick (Pongaroa) 15m 11.92s, 56.446pts, 2; David Gordon (Masterton) 15m 58.06s, 56.553pts, 3; Jack Fagan (Te Kuiti) 16m 8.44s, 58.122pts, 4; Nathan Stratford (Invercargill) 17m 3.02s, 58.501pts, 5; Paerata Abraham (Masterton) 15m 14.69s, 63.535pts, 6.
New Zealand Shears Open final (20 sheep): David Buick (Pongaroa) 15m 16.67s, 53.734pts, 1; Toa Henderson (Kaiwaka) 14m 59.75s, 54.238pts, 2; Leon Samuels (Invercargill/Roxburgh) 15m 24.5s, 54.675pts, 3; Hemi Braddick (Eketahuna) 15m 35.52s, 54.826pts, 4; Nathan Stratford (Invercargill) 16m 53.73s, 57.737pts, 5; Reuben Alabaster (Taihape) 16m 38.63s, 58.632pts, 6.
New Zealand Shears Open Plate (10 sheep): Brett Roberts (Mataura) 9m 10.52s, 34.126pts, 1; David Gordon (Masterton) 9m 9.81s, 35.791pts, 2; Dean Ball (Te Kuiti) 9m 51.55s, 36.778pts, 3; Jack Fagan (Te Kuiti) 9m 29.13s, 37.657pts, 4; James Ruki (Te Kuiti) 9m 46.13s, 37.707pts, 5; Digger Balme (Otorohanga) 8m 2.58s, 52.529pts, 6.
Development Teams Challenge (4 sheep): Canterbury (Blake Crooks 4m 34.19s, 19.71pts; Emma Martin 6m 13.42s, 23.421pts; Reuben King 5m 22,27s, 27.864pts) 70.995pts, beat King Country (Forde Alexander 4m 43.81s, 19.191pts; Josh Balme 6m 6.31s, 26.816pts; Kapua Brown 4m 27.95s, 27.148pts) 73.155pts.
Whanau teams (6 sheep): David and Michael Buick (Pongaroa) 6m 53.47s, 26.507pts, 1; Digger and Josh Balme (Otorohanga) 7m 8.81s, 27.774pts, 2; Riki and Reuben Alabaster (Taihape) 6m 32.03s, 28.102pts, 3; Dawson and Daniel Biggs (Mangamahu) 6m 27.36s, 28.368pts, 4; Mike and Toa Henderson (Kaiwaka) 6m 47.81s, 28.724pts, 5; James and Hemi Braddick (Eketahuna) 7m 9.16s, 29.958pts, 6.
Open speed shear final (2 sheep): Jimmy Samuels (Marton) 48.88s, 1; Reuben Alabaster (Taihape) 50.08s, 2; Hugh De Lacy (Rangiora) 52.77s, 3; Brett Roberts (Mataura) 54.81s, 4.
Inter-Island shearing and woolhandling: South Island (shearers Nathan Stratford, Brett Roberts, Leon Samuels; woolhandlers Chelsea Collier, Monic Potae, Charis Morrell) 165pts beat North Island (shearer Toa Henderson, Paerata Abraham, David Buick; woolhandlers Jasmin Tipoki, Hanatia Tipene, Miriam Haig) 197pts.
