Shearers in Northland have a chance to get onto the buzz for the big shows, with three successive weekends coming up - weather willing.
The North Kaipara A&P Show will be held this Saturday at Paparoa, followed by the Northern Wairoa A&P show at Arapahoe, Dargaville, on February 11, and the North Hokianga A&P Show at Broadwood on February 18.
While the Counties Shears is at Pukekohe on February 19, and Kumeu is on March 11, there will be no Easter Show in Auckland, and consequently no shearing in the big smoke.
The first of the shows in the North were at Whangarei on December 3 and at Kaikohe on January 21, where the open finals were both won by Kaiwaka shearer Toa Henderson.
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Henderson will this week tackle the big guns in the Central North Island - with the Dannevirke A&P Show tomorrow, Rangitikei Shearing Sports in Marton on Saturday and the Aria Waitangi Day Shearing Sports on Monday.
Former Hawke's Bay shearer Phil Wedd, a former Golden Shears lower grades finalist who has been in Northland about eight years, says the appeal of the small shows is that the base is, just like the woollen end-product, "close-knit".
"In the past, there were a lot of younger guys and girls cutting their teeth up here," Wedd said.
Wedd, who was runner-up to Henderson at Kaikohe and third at the Whangarei show last month, is also now judging.
The last two years of cancellations and now the weather has compounded, and issues of declining sheep numbers are impacting competitor numbers.
The rain has plagued the main shear, and now threatens this week's 146th Paparoa show, one of the oldest in New Zealand.
If it goes ahead, Wedd will be there and at Broadwood two weeks later but will miss Arapohue - to play in the national seniors golf tournament in Christchurch.
RESULTS
Kaikohe AP&H
Open final (16 lambs): Toa Henderson (Kaiwaka) 12min 43sec, 50.54pts, 1; Phil Wedd (Silverdale) 14min 3sec, 61.28pts, 2; Neville Osborne (Dargaville) 14min 53secs, 68.4pts, 3; Gary Rix (Dargaville) 17min 22sec, 74.17pts, 4.
Senior final (6 lambs): Alan Boler (Wellsford) 10min 10sec, 44.33pts, 1; Steve Coop Wellsford) 10min 21sec, 50.38pts, 2; Roger Clark (Kaikohe) 8min 35sec, 55.91pts, 3; Grant Cook (Kaikohe) 8min 57sec, 64.17pts, 4.
Intermediate final (5 sheep): Hautapu Mikaere (-) 8min 12sec, 43.4pts, 1; Rex Finlayson (Kai Iwi Lakes) 8min 56sec, 51.4pts, 2; Danielle Boyd (Kaikohe) 8min 49sec, 48.65pts, 3.
Junior final (3 sheep): Paul Finlayson (Kai Iwi Lakes) 6min 52sec, 60.93pts, 1.
Novice (2 sheep): Julia Quinn (-) 6min 13sec, 37.15pts, 1.
Veterans (2 sheep): Alan Bramley (Kaeo) 2min 34sec, 21.2pts, 1; Steve Coop (Wellsford) 3min 30sec, 27.5pts, 2; Ratu Peri (-) 4min 17sec, 35.85pts, 3; Gary Rix (Dargaville) 2min 57sec, 35.85pts, 4.
