Shearing contest proves a winner

Tom Wilson

Hosting the World Shearing and Woolhandling Championships in February has proved to be a multimillion-dollar economic boon for Southland.

A report, commissioned by the event organisers and undertaken by Venture Southland, showed an economic impact  on the region's economy of between $6.78million and $7.48million.

The championships, held in ILT Stadium Southland in Invercargill, have been widely lauded as the best event in their  40-year history, attracting about 300  competitors from around the world.

The research showed international visitors to New Zealand for the event stayed in the country an average of 31.3 days, 14.5 of those in Southland.

On average, each spent $316 a day on accommodation, food, retail  and other activities, higher than the usual tourist spend of $235 a day.

Domestic visitors to the region spend an average of $260 a day.

Additionally, the total effect on the New Zealand economy - not including time spent in Southland - was between $7.78million and $9.3million.

In a statement, organising committee chairman Tom Wilson said the numbers 'exceeded all expectations".

"We are blown away by the impact the event has had. The feedback we received during and following the champs has been overwhelming, but to see the numbers in black and white really brings home what a special event it was for our sport and for Southland.

"Right from the start, we set ourselves the goal of delivering the best world championships in history.

"... I think we gave it as good a crack as we could have hoped," Mr Wilson said.

Competitors and spectators were "blown away" by the venue and the set-up. To turn a facility such as the stadium into a woolshed for a week and have everything run so smoothly was no small feat, he said.

A total of 12,607 paying spectators attended the event over the four days of competition, including sell-out crowds on the two final evenings.