Henderson's Weekend Double - A Show Title And The Rural Games Speed Shear

The celebration continued for new Golden Shears Open shearing champion Toa Henderson at the weekend as he won both the Kumeu Show Open final near Auckland and the New Zealand Rural Games Speed Shear in Palmerston North.

Just a week after the biggest success of his career in Masterton, Kaiwaka’s favourite gun shore the six-man 20-sheep final in Kumeu on Saturday in 16m 2.09s, pipping Te Kuiti gun Jack Fagan by just 1.63 seconds.

Also posting the second-best quality points the winning margin of 2.881pts enabled him to retain a title he also won last year, a week after missing out on a place in the 2024 Golden Shears final but on his way to becoming the No 1 ranked Open shearer for the season.

Third was Simon Goss, of Whanganui, and fourth was Te Kuiti shearer Mark Grainger, who was last to finish but had the best board and pen quality points.

Two other titles also went to Northland shearers who had graced the stage on the big finals day at the Golden Shears seven days earlier.

Ruawai shearer Tommy Stevenson won a Senior final that included four of the Golden Shears Senior finalists, among them winner Bruce Grace, of Wairoa, who on Saturday had to settle for fifth place, and Henderson’s nephew, Hamuera, followed-up a fifth placing at Masterton by winning Saturday’s Intermediate final.

In the Palmerston North Square 24 hours later it was again Toa Henderson pipping reigning Rural Games speed shear champion Fagan in the event’s 2025 two-sheep head-to-head final.

Henderson shore the two in 42.86s, with Fagan shearing 43.6s, having a few minutes earlier top-qualified with a 17.4s shear single-sheep shear as the pair faced each other in the semi-finals, eliminating Brett Roberts, of Mataura, and Paerata Abraham, of Masterton.

A rare absentee from the invited field was Marton shearer Jimmy Samuels, who in 2023 won the event for a second time and who on Saturday won a speed shear at Wongarbon, near Dubbo NSW.

RESULTS from the Kumeu Show on Saturday, March 8, 2025:

Open final (20 sheep): Toa Henderson (Kaiwaka) 16m 2.09s, 53.955pts, 1; Jack Fagan (Te Kuiti) 16m 3.72s, 56.836pts, 2; Simon Goss (Whanganui) 16m 39.86s, 56.943pts, 3; Mark Grainger (Te Kuiti) 18m 1.78s, 54.089pts, 4; Digger Balme (Otorohanga) 17m 43.78s, 60.039pts, 5; Dane Phillips (Kaiwaka) 19m 1.91s, 64.196pts, 6.

Senior final (10 sheep): Tommy Stevenson (Ruawai) 11m 3.91s, 37.896pts, 1; Gabriel Winders (Kakanui) 11m 5.75s, 38.488pts, 2; Laura Bradley (Papatawa) 11m 10.44s, 39.022pts, 3; John Cherrington (Oamaru) 10m 52.02s, 39.201pts, 4; Bruce Grace (Wairoa) 10m 57.38s, 39.269pts, 5; Callum Bosley (England/Otorohanga) 11m 30.94s, 41.427pts, 6.

Intermediate final (4 sheep): Hamuera Henderson (Kaiwaka) 5m 49.41s, 25.971pts, 1; Sarah Bryant (Arohena) 6m 17.25s, 27.363pts, 2; Matthew Smith (Otorohanga) 6m 38.64s, 28.932pts, 3; Rex Finlayson (Kai Iwi Lakes) 7m 16.42s, 35.571pts, 4; Shanelle Kemp (Maungaturoto) 6m 54.33s, 38.217pts, 5; Paul Finlayson (Kai Iwi Lakes) 7m 9.91s, 41.746pts, 6.

Junior final (3 sheep): Jodiesha Kirkpatrick (Gisborne) 5m 50.5s, 24.525pts, 1; Tessa Berger (Ahuroa) 6m 32.53s, 29.96pts, 2; Cam Henson (Woodville) 6m 13.73s, 33.687pts, 3; Jordan Hildreth (Woodhill) 5m 30.45s, 52.19pts, 4; Nicklin Connor (Dairy Flats) 6m 39.14s, 53.29pts, 5.

Novice final (1 sheep): Joshua White (Parakai) 3m 24s, 33.2pts, 1; Hamish Twaddle (Whangarei) 3m 18.22s, 36.911pts, 2; Dave Twaddle (Whangarei) 2m 45.84s, 37.292pts, 3.

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