Golden Shears
Trademark
UnclaimedA major annual New Zealand sheep-shearing and woolhandling championship held in Masterton.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Golden Shears is the brand and annual championship associated with one of the world's best-known sheep-shearing competitions. Founded in Masterton, New Zealand, in 1961, the event has traditionally taken place each March at the town's War Memorial Stadium. It combines elite competitive shearing with woolhandling, woolpressing and related rural-sport activities, making it both a specialist sporting event and a public celebration of New Zealand's pastoral and agricultural heritage. The original programme featured three shearing classes, including the Open championship. The Open title became the event's signature contest and is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious individual titles in competitive shearing. Its format emphasizes both speed and workmanship: finalists shear a specified group of sheep, while officials assess the performance using time and quality-related penalty points. The champion is the competitor with the lowest aggregate score rather than simply the fastest raw time. In the Open final, six shearers each shear 20 second-shear sheep. A recorded benchmark time for the event is 15 minutes and 27.4 seconds, achieved in 2003, although speed alone does not determine the winner. Golden Shears expanded beyond its original shearing format as the competition developed. Its modern programme has included five shearing classes, four woolhandling classes and three woolpressing classes, together with additional events. The McSkimming Memorial Triple Crown final, introduced in 1973, developed through different sponsorship arrangements into an important New Zealand multiwools championship. Under the PGG Wrightson National Circuit name, competitors qualify through stages involving different sheep and wool types, including fine-wool merino, strong-wool sheep, Corriedales, lambs and second-shear sheep. The final tests competitors across several of these categories rather than focusing on a single wool type. The event has also acted as a platform for international development of shearing as a competitive sport. Competitions using the Golden Shears name or model have been established in other countries, including the United Kingdom. New Zealand and Australia have participated in a recurring transtasman test series, with hosting shared between Masterton and Australian venues. The broader international movement led to world shearing and woolhandling championships, which bring together competitors from roughly 30 countries for individual and team contests in machine shearing, blade shearing and woolhandling. Despite the existence of periodic world championships, the annual Masterton event remains a central destination for leading shearers and woolhandlers. Golden Shears is therefore more than a single race-style contest. It is an institution within the international shearing community, a recurring event brand, and a showcase for technical skill, animal handling, wool quality and rural competition. Participation has exceeded 600 entries in peak years. New Zealand shearer David Fagan holds the event's most prominent individual record, with 16 titles won between 1986 and 2009, including 12 consecutive Open championships from 1990 through 2001. The championships were not staged in 2021 and 2022 because pandemic lockdowns and border restrictions disrupted the event's normal operations.
History
Golden Shears began in Masterton, New Zealand, in 1961 as a competition centered on sheep shearing. Its permanent association with Masterton's War Memorial Stadium and its recurring March schedule helped turn the event into a fixture of the country's agricultural calendar. The early programme included three shearing classes, with the Open championship becoming the most prestigious and internationally recognized title. The Open competition established the standards that shaped the event's identity. Contestants must combine speed with careful work, and judging incorporates both elapsed time and deductions for quality or technical faults. This scoring system distinguishes Golden Shears from a contest based solely on rapid completion. The final traditionally involves six shearers each handling 20 second-shear sheep, creating a demanding test of endurance, consistency and technique. As the championships grew, the organizers added woolhandling and woolpressing categories and broadened the shearing programme. The McSkimming Memorial Triple Crown was added in 1973. Over time, and through successive sponsorship identities, it became associated with the national multiwools championship. The modern PGG Wrightson National Circuit uses qualifying stages based on different sheep and wool categories before bringing finalists together for a multiwool final. Golden Shears also influenced the international organization of competitive shearing. Events carrying the Golden Shears name or drawing on its format appeared in countries such as the United Kingdom, while New Zealand and Australia developed a transtasman test series staged alternately in both countries. The wider sport eventually gained world championships for individual and team competitors in machine shearing, blade shearing and woolhandling. These global events attract entrants from many countries, but the annual Masterton championship continues to occupy a distinctive place in the sport because of its history, prestige and connection to New Zealand's shearing industry. The event's competitive history includes a particularly dominant period by New Zealand shearer David Fagan, who accumulated 16 titles between 1986 and 2009 and won 12 consecutive titles from 1990 to 2001. Golden Shears competitions have reached more than 600 entries in peak years, illustrating the scale of the event within its specialist field. The uninterrupted annual pattern was broken when the championships were cancelled in both 2021 and 2022 because COVID-19 lockdowns and border restrictions affected travel and event operations.
- 2022
Second consecutive cancellation
[1]The Masterton championships were again absent amid continuing pandemic-related restrictions.
- 2021
Annual event cancelled during the pandemic
[1]The championships were not held because COVID-19 lockdowns and border restrictions disrupted normal event operations.
- 2003
Open final speed benchmark recorded
[1]A time of 15 minutes and 27.4 seconds was recorded as the fastest cited performance for the Open final format, although final ranking also depends on quality penalties.
- 2001
End of Fagan's 12-title consecutive streak
[1]David Fagan completed a run of 12 consecutive Golden Shears titles spanning 1990 to 2001.
- 1986
David Fagan begins record title run
[1]New Zealand shearer David Fagan won the first of his record 16 Golden Shears titles.
- 1977
International world championship movement develops
[1]The first Golden Shears World Shearing and Woolhandling Championships were held in England, extending the event's influence beyond New Zealand.
- 1973
McSkimming Memorial Triple Crown added
[1]The programme introduced the McSkimming Memorial Triple Crown, which later developed through sponsorship changes into an important national multiwools competition.
- 1961
Golden Shears founded in Masterton
[1]The Golden Shears championship was established in Masterton, New Zealand, and began its long association with the town's rural sporting community.
Products and positioning
Golden Shears is positioned as a premier specialist competition for sheep shearing and wool-related skills, combining elite sporting status with New Zealand agricultural tradition and international participation.
Sheep shearing competition · 1961
Open Shearing Championship
The signature Golden Shears contest and one of the most prestigious individual titles in competitive shearing. Six finalists shear 20 second-shear sheep, with the result determined by a combination of elapsed time and quality-related penalty points. The format rewards speed, consistency, technical control and careful handling rather than raw pace alone.
Multiwools shearing competition · 1973
PGG Wrightson National Circuit
The national multiwools circuit associated with the historical McSkimming Memorial Triple Crown. Competitors accumulate points through qualifying stages involving fine-wool merino sheep, full-wool strong-wool sheep, Corriedales, lambs and second-shear sheep before competing in a final that tests performance across multiple wool types.
Woolhandling competition
Woolhandling Championships
A set of competitions recognizing the technical sorting, preparation and handling of wool. Woolhandling forms an important part of the wider Golden Shears programme and links the event to the commercial and practical skills of the wool industry.
Woolpressing competition
Woolpressing Championships
Competitions focused on woolpressing skills within the Golden Shears programme. Together with shearing and woolhandling, these classes broaden the event from a single speed contest into a multi-discipline showcase of wool-production expertise.
Brand decisions
2022
Cancellation of the 2022 championshipsOtherBackground
Continuing pandemic-related lockdown and border conditions affected the feasibility of staging the international event.
Action taken
The organizers did not hold the 2022 championships.
Aftermath
Golden Shears returned to its role as an annual Masterton championship after a two-year interruption, according to the cited historical account.
2021
Cancellation of the 2021 championshipsOtherBackground
Public-health lockdowns and border restrictions created conditions in which the annual international championship could not be held normally.
Action taken
The organizers did not stage the 2021 Golden Shears championships.
Aftermath
The event's established annual sequence was interrupted, and the following year's championship was also not held.
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