Masterton is buzzing this weekend to the sound of shears, wool handlers' brooms and the cranking of wool presses.
The Golden Shears, billed as the world's premier shearing and wool handling competition, has this year drawn around 500 entries, more than 25 percent up on last year.
The competition attracts top shearers from around the world and has been going since 1961, with grades from novice to open and even a teddy bear shearing contest for the little ones.
The youngest generation also gets a chance to step up onto the boards in the teddy bear shearing competition Photo: PETE NIKOLAISON
Wool pressing, one of the most demanding jobs in the woolshed, is also on display and hotly contested among single and paired competitors.
Squeezing the wool into a target weight, neatly baled, pinned and branded in the shortest time possible is the aim of the game.
Wool pressing is regarded as one of the toughest jobs in the woolshed Photo: PETE NIKOLAISON
The pairs wool pressing final, Golden Shears 2024 Photo: PETE NIKOLAISON
The Shears are livestreamed, reaching audiences as far away as Mongolia. A team of Mongolian shearers is here to compete too.
The Golden Shears is livestreamed, reaching audiences around the world. Mavis Mullins is one of the hosts Photo: RNZ/Sally Round
Two hundred of the entrants are in the novice or junior grade, thanks to new training programmes, bringing people into the industry.
Fifteen-year-old Wairoa College student, Ashlin Swann, who won the Novice final, showed it's not all about speed.
She was slowest, shearing the two sheep in just under seven and a half minutes but received only three penalties in the pen where judges check to see how efficiently and carefully the fleece has been removed.
Ashlin Swann shows off her skills at the Golden Shears 2024 Photo: PETE NIKOLAISON
Novice shearers in their final at the Golden Shears 2024 Photo: PETE NIKOLAISON
Tama Bartlett has entered the wool pressing for the first time Photo: RNZ/Sally Round
Shearing is often a family affair and the stands are chock full of supporters.
spectators Photo: PETE NIKOLAISON
Four thousand sheep head through the stadium from farms in Wairarapa and as far south as Otago. It's a well-oiled machine unloading the animals in the compact yard area in the town centre.
Four thousand sheep go through the pens at the Golden Shears and Allan Grant looks after them Photo: RNZ/Sally Round
The Saturday night Open Shearing Final is the culmination of a year's worth of hard work involving many volunteers and officials.
Defending champion and eight-time winner Rowland Smith has pulled out due to injury, throwing the competition wide open to a raft of hopefuls.
A competitor in the wool handling competition, Golden Shears 2024 Photo: PETE NIKOLAISON
