Southern Hawke’s Bay students claim first Golden Shears title

Southern Hawke’s Bay agricultural training facility Pukemiro Station has retained its claim to top student shearing honours with victory in the first event decided at the 60th Golden Shears in Masterton.

The team of Connor McIntyre and Zane Rogers won the Golden Shears Life Members Student Shearing Challenge, which attracted five teams to the six-stand board  where 26 championships will be decided by the time the Shears finish with its glamour Open shearing final on Satiurday night.

It was a second triumph for McIntyre, who was in the Pukemiro team when it won the first challenge 12 months ago

Pukemiro finished the two-sheep relay 49 seconds after fastest team Smedley Station but got home comfortably with the better quality.

Based just east of Dannevirke, Pukemiro won by more than 5pts from Rathkeale College, based just north of Masterton, while the team from Smedley, near Tikokino in Central Hawke’s Bay, had to settle for third place.

Iona College pupils Rosie Bates and Anna Rasmussen put their school on the map, the Havelock North girls school fielding the challenge’s first all-female team and finished in fifth place.

The student challenge prizegiving lineup with Golden Shears life member Murray Tomlin at left, ext to him winners Connor McIntyre and Zane Rogers.
PHOTO/PETE NIKOLAISON Golden Shears