Central Otago based Stacey Te Huia was runner up to Australian Daniel McIntyre in the NZ Merino open shearing final on Saturday night (October 1) in Alexandra.

Stacey will join the trans Tasman team for an upcoming test in Bendigo, as will Masteron’s Cushla Abraham, who won the open woolhandling title.  

Open woolhandling title winner Masterton’s Cushla Abraham (33). The mum of two dominated the heats and semi finals at Molyneux park stadium

Stacey, has set shearing records on both sides of the Tasman, most notably the eight-hours solo strongwool record of 603 he shore at Mangapehi, near Bennydale, in 2010, and the still-standing two-stand, nine-hours strongwool ewes record of 1341 he sheared two years later with Waikaretu shearer Sam Welch, at Te Hape, also near Bennydale. 

North Otago’s Shakira Matenga took home the junior woolhandling title

But despite this success he thought he was not handling the pressure of the few competition finals he had reached, and made the strategic step of switching contractors for part of the season to learn more from Hawke’s Bay shearer Ariki Hawkins, working for Stringer Shearing, of Ranfurly.

Daniel McIntyre illustrated Australia's dominance of finewool shearing by winning the Merino Shears open final on Saturday night

Nathan Stratford and Leon Samuels, both from Alexandra, placed third and fourth respectively in the open final. 

Cushla’s journey to the test team is one of determination to return to fitness. She has undergone weight-loss surgery to shed 44kg in the last year and overcome diabetes, issues that had started to control her life since the birth of her first child 10 years ago.

“It’s changed my life.

“I’m fitter now than I was when I was 20,” she said.

She has not reached a final in Alexandra since 2012 when she was runner up to Joel Henare (2012 and 2017 World Champion).

Waikaretu’s Tamara Marshall won the senior woolhandling final

Four time previous winner in open woolhandling, Alexandra’s Pagan Rimene placed runner up this year, and another local woman Amy Ferguson (also 2013 winner) came in third.

About 150 competitors took part, more than 20 up on last year’s 60th anniversary celebration, and society president Lane McSkimming said it was noticeable that the championships had attracted a lot more from outside the shearing industry and from the wider community level than in recent years.

The Waimate Spring Shears, with crossbred fullwool and finewool winter comb titles at stake, will take place on October 7-8, before competitors head to the first North Island shearing and woolhandling championships of the season at the Poverty Bay A and P Show on October 15 and then Hawke’s Bay’s Great Raihania Shears on October 21.

Complete results can be found here (scroll down).

Did you attend the shears? Email [email protected] your favourite photos or moments from the event.