Payback time for lack siglets in trnstasman shearing test

The New Zealand shearing team reclaimed transtasman supremacy with a win by almost six points over pre-post TAB favourites Australia at the 60th anniversary Southern Shears shearing and woohandling championships in Gore on Saturday night.

Australia had won the three-most recent tests, in West Australia in October 2024, Masterton in March last year and South Australia four months ago, and had won 15 of the last 20 home-and-away matches since 2014.

New Zealand had the experience all-round, with Pongaroa shearer David Buick teaming with the South Island pair of Angus Moore, of Seddon, and merinos specialist Chris Vickers, of Shag Point, North Otago.

Australia had series legend Daniel McIntyre, from Glen Innes, NSW, with 17 wins in 22 transtasman tests behind him, but two new teammates in Sam Bacon, of Jamestown, South Australia, and Sam Byers, of Ross, Tasmania.

The star of the night was Moore, who shore the six merino ewes, three long-wooled strong wool ewes and three second-shears in 15min 3.44sec, almost 1min 24sec quicker than next-man-off McIntyre.

Marlborough shearer Angus Moore at national anthem time before dominating the transtasman shearing test match in which New Zealand beat Australia in Gore on Saturday. Photo / Barbara Newton

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Moore and had the second-best overall quality points, to claim individual honours by just over seven points from teammate Buick, who had the best quality points, including the best pen, and was second-to-last on time.

Vickers was last to finish in 17min 40.34sec, and had special reason for celebrating, after being on the losing end in all his three previous tests.

It completed a cleansweep of three home transtasman tests for the Shearing Sports New Zealand teams, following a blades win in Waimate in October and a wooolhandling win at the Otago Shears last week. 

In other events in Gore, New Zealand’s hopes for the 20th Golden Shears World Championships in Masterton on March 4-7 soared when championships team members claimed the two major Southern Shears titles.

Reigning Golden Shears and New Zealand Shears champion Toa Henderson, from Northland, won the open shearing final, and Joel Henare, of Motueka, claimed the Open woolhandling title, the 150th Open win of his career.

Leon Samuels, of Roxburgh, won the South Island Shearer of the Year final, and a North Island team of Buick, Jack Fagan and John Kirkpatrick won the South Island leg of a annual two-match inter-island shearing.

Angus Moore shears to the lead and an ultimate win for New Zealand in Saturday's transtasman shearing test match in Gore. Photo / Barbara Newton

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The anniversary was a huge success with 219 entries, including numerous shearers and woolhandlers from overseas ahead of the World championships.

It was most stark in the Junior shearing final, with five of the six being from the Northern Hemisphere, including winner Tane Maguire, from Wales.

The competitors comprised 140 shearers (Open 49, Senior 31, Intermediate 22, Junior 24, Novice 14) and 79 woolhandling entries (Open 37, Senior 15, Junior 28, Novice 9).

Results from the 60th Anniversary Southern Shears shearing and woolhandling championships at Gore on Friday-Saturday, February 20-21, 2026:

Transtasman Shearing Test (12 sheep - 6 merino ewes, 2 long strong wool, 3 second-shear): New Zealand (Angus Moore 15m 3.44s, 60.0053pts; David Buick 17m 27.37s, 67.0352pts; Chris Vickers 17m 40.34s, 75.9337pts) 202.9742pts beat Australia (Daniel McIntyre 16m 27.37s, 67.4515pts; Sam Byers 16m 58.88s, 68.6107pts; Sam Bacon 17m 18.09s, 72.7378pts) 208.8pts. 

Inter-island shearing (15 sheep): North Island (Jack Fagan 14m 3.02s, 50.0177pts; John Kirkpatrick 15m 1.81s, 51.4238pts; David Buick 15m 12.07s, 53.2035pts) 154.645pts, beat South Island (Corey Palmer 15m 7.5s, 51.9083pts; Casey Bailey 15m 30.94s, 52.4137pts; Angus Moore 14m 33.34s, 53.5337pts) 157.8557pts. 

Open final; (20 sheep): Toa Henderson (Kaiwaka) 17m 14.44s, 57.122pts, 1; Leon Samuels (Roxburgh) 17m 24.07s, 58.8535pts, 2; Jack Fagan (Te Kuiti) 17m 15.57s, 59.3285pts, 3; Nathan Stratford (Invercargill) 18m 25.56s, 60.178pts, 4; Casey Bailey (Riverton) 18m 50.84s, 60.492pts, 5; John Kirkpatrick (Pakipaki) 18m 46.97s, 61.4985pts, 6. 

South Island Shearer of the Year final (20 sheep): Leon Samuels (Roxburgh) 17m 45.12s, 61.156pts, 1; to Henderson (Kaiwaka) 17m 41.21s, 61.2105pts, 2; David Buick (Pongaroa) 18m 30.15s, 62.5575pts, 3; Nathan Stratford (Invercargill) 19m 14.09s, 62.7045pts, 4; Casey Bailey (Riverton) 19m 24.97s, 63.4485pts, 5; Angus Moore (Seddon) 17m 42.47s, 64.1235pts, 6. 

Senior final (12 sheep): Dre Roberts (Mataura) 13m 40.15s, 47.1742pts, 1; Cody Waiape (Gore) 13m 40.12s, 48.8393pts, 2; Keahrey Manson (Piopio) 14m 8.18s, 50.659pts, 3; Richard Lancaster (Clitheroe, England) 14m 41.5s, 50.9917pts, 4; James Wilson (Winton) 16m 28.35s, 50.0008pts, 5; Jimmy Napier (Gore) 17m 46.54s, 59.827pts, 6.  

Intermediate final (6 sheep): Tye Meikle (Oamaru) 8m 7.04s, 28.852pts, 1; Michel Buick (Pongaroa) 8m 11.44s, 31.7387pts, 2; Mitchell Yates (Kimba, South Australia) 8m 45.9s, 32.295pts, 3; Joseph Scahill (Mayo, Ireland) 7m 38.34s, 32.5837pts, 4; Conor Wilkinson (Wyndham) 9m 27.06s, 36.353prs, 5; paddy Hudson (Hokonui) 8m 13.41s, 39.6705pts, 6.

Junior final (4 sheep): Tane Maguire (Powys, Wales) 7m 49.38s, 33.469pts, 1; Sean Dunne (Wicklow, Ireland) 7m 42.47s, 34.3735pts, 2; Reuben Wilkinson (Wyndham) 7m 40.04s, 35.752pts, 3; Jess Parkhouse (Devon, England) 9m 14.47s, 37.4735pts, 4; James Hopkins (Westport, Ireland) 10m 7.66s, 37.883pts, 5; Maureen Cadet (Brittany, France) 9m 45.93s, 42.7695pts, 6.

Novice (1 sheep): Charis Morrell (Alexandra) 3m 45.31s, 18.27pts, 1; Dylan Holland (Gore) 4m 53.16s, 18.66pts, 2; Brooklyn Frazer (Invercargill) 3m 47.75s, 20.39pts, 3; Jake Anderson (Taihape) 4m 18.85s, 20.94pts, 4; Ffion Haf Jones (Corwen, Wales) 4m 26.19s, 21.31pts, 5; Noah Monson (Methven) 5m 6.53s, 24.33pts, 6.     

Woolhandling

Open final: Joel Henare (Gisborne/Motueka) 131.318pts, 1; Pagan Rimene (Alexandra) 190.5pts, 2; Vinniye Phillips (Taumarunui) 225.08pts, 3; Foonie Waihape (Alexandra) 4. 

Senior final: Tre Sciascia (Taihape) 108.832pts, 1; Lucy Elers (Mataura) 113.844pts, 2; Ashley Clarke (Gore) 117.27pts, 3; Terri Lee Walker (Taihape) 148.818pts, 4.  

Junior final: Shahni Whitu (Roxburgh) 96.594pts, 1; Mady Little (Alexandra) 110.096pts, 2; Brooklyn Frazer (Invercargill) 113.95pts, 3; Peighton Kimura-Boyes (Gore) 117.05pts, 4.

Novice: Jayda White (Milton) 56.562pts, 1; Law Kawenga (Mataura) 82.75pts, 2; Sophie Newby (Gore) 86.57pts, 3; Maureen Cadet (Brittany, France) 89.81pts, 4.