Shear magic as Golden Shears World Championships loom in 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.

Unbeaten in the Golden Shears Open woolhandling final in more than a decade, and World woolhandling champion in Masterton in 2012 and Invercargill in 2017, Joel Henare will be after the double on the last night of the March 4-7 Golden Shears World Championships in Masterton

But there is some free entry to one of the future nights as producers of movie ‘Shearing the Love’ filming the Thursday night Speed Shears, giving spectators the chance to appear in a movie with global ambitions. The night will feature giveaways and Golden Shears president Trish Stevens promises a great atmosphere as the crew captures the excitement of the event, which does have a particular history with film.

The first Golden Shears in 1961 became such a hot event that hundreds were shut out on the final night, but were able to watch a CCTV relay, looking through the closed front door at a small Tv screen in the foyer, possibly the first live television of a sports event in New Zealand.

The first World championships were held in England in 1977, and have over the 49 years been held in New Zealand, Wales, Australia, Ireland, South Africa, Scotland, Norway, and France.

The World machine shearing, woolhandling, and blades shearing championships, comprising individual and teams’ titles, have attracted about 150 competitors from 27 countries, but, including traditional annual Golden Shears and other events, a total of 29 titles will be decided in the competitions spanning more than 14 hours daily for four days.

For the first time at a Golden Shears World championships’ there will be B finals in the Machine Shearing and Woolhandling teams’ events.

Several defending or former champions have won places in their national teams, headed by Welsh shearer Gwion Evans defending the Machine Shearing title he won in Scotland in 2023, with challengers including New Zealand-based Scotsman Gavin Mutch, who won when the World championships were last held in Masterton in 2012, and New Zealand representative Rowland Smith, who won in Ireland in 2014.

In the woolhandling Scotland’s Rosie Keenan will defend the title she won in Edinburgh three years ago, with former winners in New Zealand’s Joel Henare (Masterton 2012, Invercargill 2017) and England’s Hilary Bond-Harding (Ireland 2014) also among the field, while South African Bonile Rabela will defend the blades shearing title in a field that includes New Zealand’s Allan Oldfield, who won the title in France in 2019.

Wales won three of the six titles in 2023, with the individual and teams machine shearing championships and the woolhandling teams event, in what was the first time New Zealand had not won any of the titles.

The excitement of final-night Golden Shears, as 2025 Golden Shears Open shearing champion Northland gun Toa Henderson celebrates with family and friends. Henderson will be shooting for a repeat, and also a World title. Photo / SSNZ.

The New Zealand team comprises machine shearers Toa Henderson, of Kaiwaka (Northland) and Rowland Smith, of Maraekakaho (Hawke’s Bay), woolhandlers Joel Henare, of Motueka (Tasman) and Marika Braddick, of Eketahuna (Tararua), and 2019 blades teams champions and South Canterbury blades shearers Allan Oldfield, of Geraldine (but currently based in the Hutt Valley), and Tony Dobbs, of Fairlie.

The busy week, in a town that has a population of about 22,600, also includes a Thursday-evening opening parade, the teams’ dinner, the Golden Shears World Council meeting, deciding who will host the next championships, and a “Shearable Arts” fashion event.

More than 6000 sheep will be shorn, from farms throughout Wairarapa, including properties linked to Golden Shears from the start.

Competitors will be putting the finishing touches to their preparation this weekend, starting on Friday at the Taumarunui Shears, followed on Saturday by the Apiti Sports Shears, north of Feilding, and the Kaikoura A and P Show, and on Sunday the Pahiatua Shears and the Wairarapa Pre-Shears Woolhandling at Mikimiki, north of Masterton.

Titles to be decided at the 20th Golden Shears World Shearing and Woolhandling Championships and 63rd Golden Shears in Masterton on Wednesday-Saturday March 4-7, 2026;

Wednesday:
Golden Shears - Student Shearing Challenge, Novice Woolhandling, Junior Woolhandling, Senior Woolhandling, Novice Shearing, Junior Shearing, Intermediate Shearing.

Thursday:
Golden Shears - Women’s Woolpressing, Men’s Woolpressing, Pairs Woolpressing, Teddy bear Shears, Senior Speed Shear, Open Speed Shear.

Friday:
World Championships – Woolhandling Teams A Final, Woolhandling Teams B Final, Blades Shearing, Machine Shearing A Final, Machine Shearing B Final.

Saturday:
Golden Shears – North Island Open Woolhandling Circuit, Senior Shearing, Open Blades Shearing, Women’s Invitation Shearing, National Shearing Circuit, Māori-Pakeha Teams, Open Woolhandling, Open Shearing.

World Championships – Individual finals: Blade Shearing, Woolhandling, Machine Shearing.