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New world record in South Otago blazes trail for more female shearers
Four female shearers have established a new world record, shearing 1938 lambs in eight hours in a South Otago woolshed.
Rose Lewis, Ariana ‘Missy’ Te Whata, Te Atakura Crawford and Pagan Rimene set the four-stand women’s eight-hours strongwool lamb record on Tuesday at Melrose Station, near Owaka.
No previous record existed for the category, which is recognised by the World Sheep Shearing Records Society.
Crawford from Gisborne, who beat an otherwise all-male field to win the 2013 NZ merino shears senior title, topped the tallies with 530, averaging 54.34 seconds a lamb, caught, shorn and through the porthole.
Te Whata – who grew-up in Mossburn, Southland, and is the niece of two world recordholders – was credited with 504, while master woolhandler and 2019 world teams woolhandling champion Pagan Rimene of Alexandra shore 481.
The remaining 423 were accredited to Lewis from Manutuke, on the East Coast, who now lives in Dubbo, New South Wales, where she works shearing merino sheep.
A fifth-generation shearer, she took up the sport six years ago at the age of 35, after working as a ‘rousey’ or woolhandler.
The record attempt required serious training and Lewis was hospitalised with a condition called RCVS (Reversible Cerebral Vasoconstriction Syndrome) five months ago, which meant she had to ease back on her training schedule, but she didn’t let it stop her from competing.
While she initially found it hard to find her rhythm on the cold Otago morning, she found her stride, and said it was overwhelming and exciting to be part of the recordsetting team.
“My father and his three brothers are in the world record book, so it was cool to be the first Lewis female to get in there and make my family proud.”
While it took some time to become a shearer, she said she now couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
Rose Lewis was hospitalised five months ago, but returned to participate in the record attempt. Photo: Supplied/Rose Lewis
“It’s a great job, great industry, you can go in so many different places.”
She hopes to set more records, including in Australia.
“I’ve got some pretty big goals on the world record stage, so setting one and with the team was definitely a cool start – you’re not going into it alone.”
Referee Neil Fagan said more women were getting into shearing and the new record would give those entering the sport something to aim for.
“It’s just great to see those four girls getting out there and setting [a record], inspiring another four girls to have a go one day.
“They’ve got a target to beat now, which is not an easy target, but it’s something for them to aspire to.”
The event was the first of two multi-stand shearing record attempts in the southern regions this summer.
On 31 January, Shane Ratima, Paerata Abraham and Leon Samuels will tackle the three-stand, eight-hours strongwool lambs record at Waihelo Station, Moa Flat, in west Otago.
The current record of 1976 was set by Coel L’Huillier, Kaleb Foote and Daniel Langlands in 2019 at Puketiti Station, near Piopio.
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The chief executive of the Parliamentary Service is confident there will be enough room to accommodate the increased number of MPs and their staff coming into Parliament.
On current numbers, up to 131 MPs could be sitting in the Chamber following the election, brought on by a record overhang result.
Clerk of the House of Representatives Dr David Wilson told the Spinoff that currently the debating chamber had enough chairs to seat 124 MPs – including the Speaker of the House – and work was being done to accommodate more by altering the seating arrangement.
In a statement, Parliamentary Service chief executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero said planning for a larger Parliament had been going for “some time”.
“Now that the election results have confirmed an increase to the number of members we are looking at several options.
“We are confident we will be able to accommodate all members within the Chamber.”
VNP / Phil Smith
Gonzalez-Montero said office accommodation for members and their staff would be “stretched” for a short time, but the new Members’ Building was only a few months away from “practical completion”.
That building – located behind Parliament – was due to be ready to occupy in April next year and had capacity to accommodate around 30 backbench MPs.
“All members should be in fit-for-purpose accommodation from that point,” Gonzalez-Montero said.
Following the 2023 election, 123 MPs sat in the Chamber – a record number at the time. That decreased to 122 following the resignation of National MP Judith Collins.
Collins held the seat of Papakura and stepped down in May and Parliament voted against holding a by-election because it was too close to the election.
The election result also meant high-ranking National Party MPs like Chris Bishop, Paul Goldsmith, Nicola Willis and Gerry Brownlee – Speaker of the House and an MP for 30 years – would likely not make it back into Parliament.
Only resigning or retiring MPs were permitted to give a valedictory speech meaning none of them would get the chance to give a valedictory statement.
Asked if their would be special allowances for valedictories, Wilson said in a statement that normally only MPs were allowed to speak in the House but the House could suspend its own rules or temporarily alter them.
“It could do so to allow former members to address the House.”
Wilson said no such arrangements could be made until the next Parliament opened and members sworn in.
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