Māori Competitors Shine as New Zealand Spring Shears Celebrate New Records and Historic Wins

WAIMATE — The shearing season has ignited with a series of remarkable performances at the New Zealand Spring Shears over the weekend, where Māori competitors stood out among a field of international talent. While Australia claimed a historic victory over New Zealand in blade shearing—securing only their second win in 21 tests—it was the individual excellence of local stars that dominated the leaderboard in the machine shearing and woolhandling divisions. Gore shearer Cody Waihape continued his unbeaten streak in the Senior division, claiming both the Senior Longwool and New Zealand Winter Comb Senior titles. Waatea News reports that Waihape’s back-to-back victories, following his success at the New Zealand Merino Championships in Alexandra, have established him as a significant competitor to watch this season. In the Intermediate Longwool final, Gisborne’s Jodiesha Kirkpatrick took the top spot, finishing ahead of Tamati Dennison of Kurow and Kingston Pue of Raetihi. The Open Woolhandling final provided one of the weekend's most unexpected results. Waimate local Kelly McDonald, who had been considering retirement, produced a stunning upset to defeat Pagan Rimene by nearly 35 points. First-year Open competitor Tre Ratana Sciascia, from Feilding, also impressed by finishing third in a high-calibre field that included former world champions and defending titleholders. In the machine shearing ranks, Roxburgh’s Leon Samuels proved his enduring class by securing the New Zealand Longwool Open Championship for the fourth time. He faced stiff competition from Nathan Stratford, who successfully defended his New Zealand Winter Comb Open title. The event also marked a poignant moment for the sport as veteran blade shearer Tony Dobbs retired after 47 years, winning the Open Blades title as a final flourish to a career that spanned over 150 global titles.