The Pahiatua Shears highlighted their place in the biggest week in New Zealand shearing when two of the winners claimed titles at the 57th Golden Shears six days later.
The championships, a staple part of the shearing competition scene since the early 1970s, and the last event before the Golden Shears, were held at the Fouhy family property on Mangaone Valley Rd on February 26, the third time since a decision was made to move the event to the six-stand shed from the stadium in Pahiatua. The event had originally been held at Balfour Stud.
Former World champion Rowland Smith, formerly of Northland but now living at Maraekakaho, near Hastings, scored a rare sequence of wins when he won on successive days at Taumarunui, Apiti and Pahiatua and went on to successfully defend the Golden Shears Open title in Masterton. Newcomer and 43-year-old Hawke's Bay farmer Mark Ferguson, of Kahuranaki, near Havelock North, won the Pahiatua Shears Junior final, going on to win the Junior final in Masterton as well as the Golden Shears' coveted all-grades quality award, the RE O'Hara Memorial Trophy.
New World champion John Kirkpatrick, of Napier, was runner-up in the Open final, and third was former Hawke's Bay shearer Dion King, who now farms and shears in Wairarapa, with a property at Alfredton.
Holder of the world lambshearing record for almost 10 years of 866 in nine hours until it was beaten by one lamb in the UK last July, King won the third HiLux NZ Rural Games Speedshear in the Palmerston North Square on March 12, in a time of 43.66sec for two sheep beating Jimmy Samuels of Marton.
