Henare makes it three-in-a-row at Gisborne

Henare makes it three-in-a-row at Gisborne

New Master Woolhandler Joel Henare continued an unbeaten start to the new shearing sports season with a triumphant homecoming in Gisborne yesterday, thanks to an aunt who shouted the air fare, and a friend who put him up for the night.

Based in the South Island but originally from Gisborne, the 22-year-old father-of-two won the Poverty Bay A and P Show open title for a third year in a row.

He opened the season a fortnight earlier by winning the New Zealand Merino Championships final in Alexandra, and last week he mastered the change to strongwool fleeces to win his first New Zealand Spring Shears open final in Waimate.

The 2012 World Champion and reigning two-times Golden Shears Open champion scored a comfortable win, by 99pts from runner-up Foonie Waihape, who was named after hometown Gisborne Mayor Meng Foon.

She has risen quickly from Junior class in 2012, to Senior last year, and this year to Open and it was a meritorious effort to beat third placegetter and 2014 New Zealand Championships runner-up Logan Kamura, of Marton, and foremost woolhandling instructor and 2007 Golden Shears Open champion Huia Whyte-Puna, of Napier.

Henare thanked his aunt for giving him the chance to defend the title by paying his fare from the South Island.

An all Gisborne-East Coast Senior final was won by Erena Smith, of Ruatoria, Marton rookie Shanelle Kawana won her first Junior final, and Nya Kerekere, of Gisborne, won the Novice event, reckoning that having missed-out in her only previous competition attempt last year she’s got the confidence up and wants to try some more.

The next woolhandling competition of the season will be at the Hawke’s Bay Show’s Great Raihania Shears on Friday.

ENDS

© Scoop Media