New Zealand Challenge For Toughest Of All Shearing Records

10 December, 2025

One of the toughest of all shearing records is to be attempted by Whanganui shearer Simon Goss next month.

The brother of former Black Ferns rugby captain Sarah Hirini, Goss, who turns 29 at the end of this month, will tackle the solo nine-hour strong wool ewes record of 731 set by New Zealander Matt Smith on the farm he runs in Cornwall, England, on July 26, 2016.

Goss will stake his claim at Te Pa Station, Waimarino, on January 5, the first attempt on the record in the more-than nine years since Smith added 10 to the previous mark of 721 shorn by Hawke’s Bay shearer Rodney Sutton near Bennydale in 2007.

In his record Smith shore 164 in the first two hours followed by successive 1hr 45min runs of 142, 142, 141 and 142, for an average of just over 81 an hour, or 44.3228 seconds a sheep, caught, shorn and despatched.

Goss is already in the books of the World Sheep Shearing Records Society for a two-stand strongwool lambs record for eight hours, shorn on the family farm at Mangamahu, inland from Whanganui, in January 2023.

Two months later he sheared 804 mixed-age ewes in nine hours near Tolaga Bay, but they weren’t subject to rules conditions such as the sheep needing an average of at least 3kg of wool each.

He will also be under the watch of four judges, convened by Australia-based Steve Potaka-Osborne, from Whanganui, with New Zealand officials Neil Fagan, Bart Hadfield and Ronnie King.

“That 804 was a result of a brilliant day,” he said. “I wanted to do 700. But once we got going, we really just wanted to see how far things could be pushed.”

“The ewes weren’t record-crutched, and not fullwool,” he said. “It was just a shed tally, but it did probably light a little flame.”

Now it’s locked in, and he said: “We just wanted to make sure all boxes were being meet before setting it in stone.”

Goss is an Open-class competition shearer, and was the No 1-ranked Senior shearer in the 2019-2020 season, winning 13 finals.

The attempt is now one of four registered with the society in December and January, the first being on December 19 in New South Wales when English shearer Martin Howlett will tackle the solo nine-hours merino lambs record of 664 set in 2004.

A four-stand Women’s eight-hour strongwool lambs record attempt will take place on January 20 at “Melrose Station’ 948 Cairn Road, Owaka, South Otago, and a three-stand men’s strongwool lambs record for eight hours will be challenged on January 31 at Waihelo Station, Moa Flat, West Otago.

© Scoop Media