Henare handles the competition

Woolhandler Joel Henare of Gisborne winning an unprecedented 4th Golden Shears Open woolhandling title. Photo / Peter Nikolaison

The Gisborne region stamped itself as a woolhandling world centre with three of the four Golden Shears titles on offer in Masterton.

The three wins were headlined by Joel Henare's unprecedented fourth Golden Shears Open woolhandling title in a row as the three-day 56th Golden Shears drew to a close on Saturday night.

Earlier in the day, the Junior title was won by Nya Kerekere and on the opening day the Novice title was won by Dayna Rutene. The other Golden Shears woolhandling title, in the Senior class, was won by Denise Murray-Karaka, of Alexandra.

The successful New Zealand woolhandling team after their win over Australia, from left, manager Sam Saunders and woolhandlers Sheree Alabaster and Joel Henare. Photo / Doug Laing

Henare, who at 24 is already in his 10th season of Open class competition and has won 68 finals in New Zealand, has been largely based in the South Island. But he affirmed his proud Tairawhiti heritage, saying: "I've moved back to Gisborne now."

Despite the move, he helped keep the South Island on the shearing map by taking a place in a Southland team that won the national YFC Shearing and Woolhandling Teams Event, also on Saturday.

It was a particularly successful Golden Shears for Henare, who in 2012 in Masterton won the World Championship final then 12 months later became the youngest-ever Golden Shears Open woolhandling champion, on the way to becoming the youngest acclaimed Master Woolhandler.

On Friday, he and 2008 World champion Sheree Alabaster, of Taihape, scored a transtasman test match win over Australians Racheal Hutchison and Angela Wakely, and on Saturday he also won the North Island Woolhandling Circuit final. Because he also won the New Zealand Woolhandler of the Year final three weeks earlier, this means he has won both of this season's events in the selection of the New Zealand transtasman series woolhandling team for next season.

The Golden Shears Open win also pushed him to the top of the points table in the Shearing Sports New Zealand World Championships selection series, with three events down and three to go before November's final in Christchurch. There, two woolhandlers will be chosen to represent New Zealand at the 2017 World Champs in Invercargill.

Despite the high quality of Saturday night's final field - with all four having represented New Zealand at world championships - Henare was firm favourite and claimed his 12th win of the season, his only defeat being last Tuesday's Pre-Shears final, where he was beaten by Alabaster.

He had a comfortable winning margin on Saturday night with the fastest time and best board and throw points and best on the fleece, leaving behind Alabaster, 2014 World Championships runner-up and 2008 Golden Shears champion Ronnie Goss and 2010 World teams title winner Keryn Herbert.