Black singlets, black T-shirts and red ribbons mixed like streamers on election night as New Zealand claimed an unprecedented five wins in six events at the Golden Shears World Shearing and Woolhandling Championships which ended in Masterton on Saturday night.

Following a cleansweep of the teams machine shearing, blades shearing and woolhandling titles on Friday, Joel Henare, from Gisborne, completed a third teams and individual titles double, and Rowland Smith, of Maraekakaho, claimed a second individual machine shearing title.

New Zealand has become the first nation to win all three teams titles at a World shearing and woolhandling championships.

Bouncing back from not a single win in either teams or individual events at the last championships in Scotland in 2023, the Shearing Sports New Zealand team’s historic treble of the machine shearing, blades shearing and woolhandling titles came on Friday at the 2026 championships during the 64th Golden Shears in Masterton.

New Zealand’s hopes of moving back into champion World shearing and woolhandling ranks soared today (Thursday) as home-country representatives topped the points in the opening rounds of both the blade shearing and woolhandling during the 64th Golden Shears in Masterton.

The international impact on the 2026 Golden Shears in Masterton arrived-big time nearing the end of the first of the four days on Wednesday when three lower grade titles on were won by competitors from the Northern Hemisphere – even before the drawcard World Championships had begun.

The triumphant visitors were Joseph Scahill, of Westport, Mayo, Ireland, and Welsh youngster Steffan George, from Aberystwyth, who won the Golden Shears Intermediate and Junior shearing finals respectively, and Isabelle Joiner, from Calgary, Canada, winner of the Novice woolhandling title, all entered as inndividuals and ot members of national teams set to start their campaigns of Thursday.

Two boarders at Napier Boys High School have created another page of history in their campus’s 154 years with victory in a Hawke’s Bay cleansweep of the major placings in the first event decided at the 2026 Golden Shears in Masterton.

Sam Lawson and Sam Whiteside, farmers’ sons from Ongaonga and Te Pohue  respectively won the MKM Originals Student Challenge on Wednesday, the first event decided on first of the four days at this year’s Golden Shears, which incorporate the 20th World Shearing and Woolhandling Championships.

From a traditional pōhiri to the kilts of Scotland, the klompen of the Netherlands, to fibreglass sheep and probably the coldest evening of the week, the welcome of 27 nations to the 20 Golden Shears World Shearing and Woolhandling Championships took place in Whakaoriori Masterton on Tuesday.

It’s been a chilly arrival for about 150 shearers and woolhandlers from 27 countries in Masterton for the 20th Golden Shears World Shearing and Woolhandling Championshhips, but it will get better.

On Tuesday, temperatures of no more than 14C were forecast by national weather agency Metservice, but it was expected to clear in time for a 5pm powhiri,  traditional welcome from the people of Whakaoriori Masterton.

Defending Golden Shears Woolhandling champion Joel Henare has been made a warm TAB favourite to win a big double at the four-day Golden Shears and 20th World shearing and woolhandling championships which start in Masterton on Wednesday.

Henare is going for a third World individual woolhandling title and a 12th consecutive Golden Shears Open Woolhandling title.

King Country shearer Jack Fagan will go into the final stages of the PGG Wrightson National Shearing Circuit a clear top qualifier for the semi-finals after gleaning maximum points from the last preliminary round at the Pahiatua Shears on Sunday.

Fagan finished the series with 48 points from a maximum possible 60 in the five rounds held at Alexandra (finewool merino), Waimate (fullwool), Christchurch (corriedale), Marton (lambs) and Pahiatua (second-shear).

The Shearing Sports New Zealand team had a big boost going into this week’s Golden Shears World Shearing and Woolhandling Championships when four of the six members won titles in the major weekend showdowns before heading to Masterton.

With modern-day record entries at five shows, the big wins went to machine shearers Toa Henderson in the Taumarunui Shears Open final on Friday and 2014 champion Rowland Smith at the Pahiatua Shears on Sunday, 2019 blade shearing champion Allan Oldfield at the Kaikoura A and P Show on Saturday, and 2012 and 2017 woolhandling champion Joel Henare at the Wairarapa Pre-Shears Woolhandling Championships on Sunday at Mikimiki, north of Masterton.

About 600 shearers and woolhandlers are preparing to descend on the New Zealand North Island town of Masterton for the 20th Golden Shears World Shearing and Woolhandling Championships and 63rd annual Golden Shears.

The championships will be held on March 4-7 in the town’s War Memorial Stadium, home of the annual Golden Shears since the brand was established in 1961.

With tickets sold-out, some events will be held in a marquee across the road from the stadium in Queen Elizabeth Park, along with a fanzone, with large outdoot screen, which will carry the global live-streaming.