At the trans-Tasman wool handling test match on Friday, from left, New Zealand team manager Gordon ‘Flash’ Duxfield, Dawn Ratana, wool handlers Ngaio Hanson and Joel Henare, and the Australian wool handlers Alexander Schoff, Racheal Hutchison and manager Claire Lowe. Photo – Barbara Newton.
NEW Zealand scored a comfortable win over Australia in a trans-Tasman wool handling test match held in South Otago on Friday.
The New Zealand team of Golden Shears champion Joel Henare, of Motueka, and Ngaio Hanson, of Eketahuna, won by more than 75 points from Australians Alexander Schoff, of Chinchilla, Queensland, and Racheal Hutchison, of Gilgandra, New South Wales.
The match took place on the first day of the 2026 Otago Shears at Carterhope Estate, Te Houka, on Friday, and enabled New Zealand to square the 2025-2026 series, with Australia having won the first leg during the Australian National Shearing and Woolhandling Championships at Jamestown, South Australia, in October.
It was the 51st trans-Tasman wool handling test since the annual home-and-away series’ started in 1998, with New Zealand having 38 wins.
New Zealand trans-Tasman wool handlers Joel Henare and Ngaio Hanson meet in the middle. Photo – Barbara Newton.
Henare, 34, extended his record as the most successful individual, with 16 appearances, including 14 wins, and Hutchison as Australia’s most successful made her 13th appearance, including nine wins, but it was her first appearance with Schoff, who was contesting a fifth trans-Tasman test in a row.
Henare also won his 14th New Zealand Woolhandler of the Year title, in an encouraging result ahead of his attempt to win a third World individual title at the 2026 Golden Shears World Shearing and Woolhandling Championships in Masterton on March 4-7. It was the 149th win of his open wool handling career dating back to his first at Waipukurau in 2006.
Australian trans-Tasman wool handlers Alexander Schoff and Racheal Hutshison in action. Photo – Barbara Newton.
Defending NZWHY champion Pagan Rimene, of Alexandra, was runner-up, and Schoff was third. The senior title was won by North Island competitor Tre Ratana Sciascia, and the junior final was won by Talia Nelson, of Alexandra.
New Zealand’s home trans-Tasman tests have traditionally been held at the Golden Shears in Masterton, but have been squeezed out of the programme next month to make way for the 20th Golden Shears world Shearing and Woolhandling Championships.
Friday’s test was the second of five shearing sports international matches for New Zealand teams on successive weekends before the championships, with New Zealand having beaten Wales at Aria on Waitangi Day in the first of three Wools of New Zealand shearing tests.
A trans-Tasman shearing test will be shorn next Saturday on the second day of the 60th anniversary Southern Shears in Gore, and the remaining New Zealand and Wales shearing tests Wales will be at Pukekohe on February 22 and the Taumarunui Shears on February 27.
Roxburgh shearer Leon Samuels on Saturday put a recent world record behind him and set his sights on regaining the Golden Shears Open title in Masterton next month with victory in the Otago Shears open shearing final over Northland gun Toa Henderson, who won both events last year.
Henderson won the race over 20 sheep, and finished in 16m 0.08s – thought to be easily the quickest time for the Otago Open final, and 40 seconds quicker than last year, when Henderson all-but put a sheep around the whole field.
There were just seven seconds in it this time, for Samuels’ better quality to give him victory by almost two points.
Justin Meikle, of Oamaru, was third, Invercargill shearer Nathan Stratford was fourth, and had the best quality points, Corey Palmer, of Dipton, was fifth, and former Golden Shears Novice, Intermediate and Senior champion Connor Puha, of Kimbolton, was sixth in his first Open final.
The Otago Shears Open final was the first leg in an unofficial grand slam, of four Open titles on successive weekends, also including the Southern Shears at Gore, the Pahiatua Shears, and the Golden Shears.
It is thought to have been first claimed by Taranaki shearer Roger Cox on his way to winning the Golden Shears Open in 1978, and since has been completed only by David Fagan (1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001), John Kirkpatrick (2011) and Rowland Smith (2018).
Mataura shearer Dre Roberts had a big win in the Senior final, over 12 sheep each, with the fastest ime (13m 13.14s), and best board and pen points to beat runner-up and Northland shearer Tommy Stephenson by almost four points.
Tye Meikle, of Oamaru, scored his 9th win in 11 Intermediate finals this season, by just under a point from South Australian shearer Jackson Lockett, but it was even closer in the Junior final, in which Reuben Wilkinson, of Wyndham, won by less than a 10th of a point from Welsh shearer Tane Maguire.
the Otago Shears attracted 150 entries, comprising 91 shearers (Open 29, Senior 23, Intermediate 16, Junior 10, Novice 4) and 59 woolhandlers (Open 32, Senior 12, Junior 15).
The 60th Southern Shears shearing and woolhandling will be held on Friday and Saturday, including the transtasman shearing test.
Also next weekend are the North Hokianga A and P Show shearing at Broadwood in Northland, the Ohura A.P. and I. Show shearing and woolhandling, and the Murchison Shears, all on Saturday, and the Counties Shears in Pukekohe on the Sunday.
RESULTS from the Otago Shears at Carterhope Estate, Te Houka, South Otago, on February 13-14, 2026:
International – Trans-Tasman wool handling test: New Zealand (Joel Henare, Ngaio Hanson) 125.068pts, beat Australia (Alexander Schoff, Racheal Hutchison) 200.388pts.
Shearing
Open final (20 sheep): Leon Samuels (Roxburgh) 16m 7.05s, 54.4525pts, 1; Toa Henderson (Kaiwaka) 16m 0.08s, 56.304pts, 2; Justin Meikle (Oamaru) 17m 2.83s, 56.5415pts, 3; Nathan Stratford (Invercargill) 17m 55.83s, 57.2415pts, 4; Corey Palmer (Dipton) 17m 56.35s, 58.7175pts, 5; Connor Puha (Kimbolton) 17m 44.87s, 60.7935pts, 6.
Senior final (12 sheep): Dre Roberts (Mataura) 13m 13.14s, 43.9903pts, 1; Tommy Stephenson (Ruawai) 14m 4.08s, 47.8707pts, 2; Aaron Magee (Raphoe, Ireland) 14m 14.11s, 48.9555pts, 3; Cody Waihape (Gore) 14m 10.39s, 50.4362pts, 4; James Wilson (Winton) 14m 12.35s, 50.4508pts, 5; Jack Pringle (Balclutha) 14m 9.09s, 53.0378pts, 6.
Intermediate final (5 sheep): Tye Meikle (Oamaru) 6m 22.49s, 28.1245pts, 1; Jackson Locket (Macgillivray, South Australia) 7m 23.17s, 29.3585pts, 2; Connor Wilkinson (Wyndham) 7m 27.49s, 29.5745pts, 3; Joseph Scahill (Mayo, Ireland) 6m 23.58s, 29.579pts, 4; Paddy Hudson (Hokonui) 6m 55.09s, 29.9545pts, 5; Michael Buick (Pongaroa) 7m 9.49s, 30.8745pts, 6.
Junior final (4 sheep): Reuben Wilkinson (Wyndham) 7m 48.93s, 29.9465pts, 1; Tane Maguire (Powys, Wales) 7m 45.7s, 30.0385pts, 2; Ben Hathaway (Arinagour, Scotland) 8m 29.21s, 31.4605pts, 2; Kody Currie (Kaitangata) 6m 44.99s, 33.2495pts, 4; Jacob Booth (Waimate) 9m 20.11s, 34.7555pts, 5; James Hopkins (Westport, Ireland) 7m 47.3s, 41.365pts, 6.
Novice (1 sheep): Blake Sollitt (Whanganui) 4m 17.61s, 13.88pts, 1; Charis Morrell (Alexandra) 4m 20.55s, 16.03pts, 2; Kurt Turnbull (Balclutha) 2m 51.62s, 16.58pts, 3; Bridee Wilkinson (Wyndham) 6m 21.83s,28.09pts, 4.
Wool handling – New Zealand Woolhandler of the Year:
Open final: Joel Henare (Gisborne/Motueka) 168.84pts, 1; Pagan Rimene (Alexandra) 215.71pts, 2; Alexander Schoff (Chinchilla, Queensland) 229.706pts, 3; Amy Ferguson (Alexandra) 287.906pts, 4.
Senior final: Tre Sciascia (Taihape) 150.044pts, 1; Ashley Clarke (Gore) 153pts, 2; Lucy Elers (Mataura) 167.106pts, 3; Te Aroha Little (Balclutha) 200.22pts, 4.
Junior final: Talia Nelson (Alexandra) 107.43pts, 1; Lucy Black 119.53pts, 2; Jorjah Mason (Masterton) 120.79pts, 3; Mady Little (Balclutha) 141.06pts, 4.
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