Pictured in a 150th anniversary blade shearing event in Central Hawke's Bay three years ago.

The Canterbury Shears' New Zealand Corriedale Shearing and Woolhandling Championships are safely underway in Christchurch after weeks of planning to run a safe event amid the coronavirus crisis, which caused the cancellation of the A&P show at which the championships are normally held.
With some competitors unable to be present because of Covid-19 Delta alert level restrictions in the North Island, organisers are hoping for over 100 entries for the events at the Canterbury Agricultural Park, starting with the three classes of wool handling today.

There were, however, lightish entries with just 34 across the three woolhandling classes.
It's competitors and officials only, as it was in 2020 when the championships were held at Marble Point, near Hanmer Springs, after the A and P show's first coronavirus cancellation.
Among those competing will be top-ranked 2020-2021 season Open woolhandler and 2019 World teams champion Pagan Karauria, trying for three-in-a-row in the championships' Open woolhandling, competition from four-time winner Joel Henare, who has travelled from Gisborne.

But among the missing will be Te Kuiti's Keryn Herbert, who has been in the final five times without winning in the last decade after claiming the title in 2010. This year, she completed 50 individual Open competition wins when she claimed another North Island circuit title in Te Kuiti. Christchurch would have been chasing points in this season's South Island woolhandling circuit.
She, and at least three others, are still confined by the Level 3 conditions in place in King Country, including Open-class shearers Jack Fagan and James Ruki, both needing points in the PGG Wrightson Vetmed National Shearing Circuit, of which the Open heats on Friday is the third round.

Another missing from the shearing will be defending Corriedales champion and 2012 World champion Gavin Mutch, who had to pull out of the Circuit before it started. Dealing with shoulder injuries, he's now intent on recovering to full fitness in time to return to Scotland to try to win selection again in his native Scotland team for the next World Championships at the Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh in 2023.

Geraldine shearer and 2019 World blade shearing champion Allan Oldfield, who now lives in Hutt Valley, returns to the South Island to defend the Golden Blades title he won for the first time last year.
His preparation this week included shearing some alpaca.

Doug Laing
Media Officer
Shearing Sports New Zealand
mobile 0274 690 644, home +64 (0)6 843 6656