Top award to Hawke's Bay A and P Society president and family

Lucy Collin and team helper Georgia Rhodes celebrate the family's Royal Show Meat and Wool Cup win in Hastings with Rauriki Naomi N6. Photo / Paul Taylor

The Charolais stud of Hawke's Bay A and P Society president Simon Collin and family has again carried off what livestock guru Bruce Orr calls "the ultimate award at the ultimate show".

The moment came when the team from Rauriki stud near Ormondville in Southern Hawke's Bay and prize heifer Rauriki Naomi N6, paraded by daughter Lucy and team helper Georgia Rhodes, of Blenheim, won the Meat and Wool Cup in Hastings on Thursday, the second day of the three-day Royal New Zealand Show, hosted by Hawke's Bay for the fifth year in a row.

Showing stock at the Hawke's Bay show for more than 20 years, and with 15 entries from their Rauriki stud near Ormondville in various classes this year, it was the third time Collin, wife Wendy and their team had won the premier trophy, the "Meat and Wool" title, according to Orr, being a bit of a misnomer as it has "nothing to do with sheep".

There are "Meat and Wool" cups at several A and P shows, presented initially by proprietors of the former Meat and Wool magazine.

Rauriki stock had won the Hawke's Bay Meat and Wool Cup previously in 2000 and again at the Hawke's Bay A and P Society 150th anniversary show in 2013.

Entries this year came from as far as Wellsford, north of Auckland. Absent were the large teams of Central Hawke's Bay Simmental breeder Tony Thompson, who had retired from stock showing after about 40 years supporting shows and winning cups.

But he was still there as one of three judges who each awarded Naomi the maximum points, Thompson commenting it was something special when three judges from different parts of the country could have such unanimous agreement.

The heifer had claimed several other top prizes along the way, include champion Senior cow, and Supreme Champion Charolais, the accolade that placed her in the Meat and Wool queue with other breed champions.

Runner-up was a Salers bull from Willow Creek, the Northland stud of Karen and Bruce Woolley, who ventured to the Hawke's Bay show for the first time just two years ago and on Thursday had been gunning to win its Meat and Wool Cup for a third time.