World champion woolhandler Joel Henare has won the Southland Shears’ national crossbred lambs woolhandling title.
The Ngāti Porou descendant beat Southland's Pagan Karauria by just 0.76pts in reversing the result of the previous day’s Northern Southland Community Shears longwool championships at Long Range.
Each has won three finals in New Zealand this summer, locking out all other opposition in the five finals to date in the South Island.
Henare has won over 100 Open titles, including the Winton title at the New Zealand Spring Shears in Waimate in October, and the New Zealand Corriedale Championships in November.
He also won an Open final while at the Perth Royal Show for a trans-tasman test match in September.
Karauria’s Lumsden win followed her success at the national fine wool title season-opener at the New Zealand Merino Championships in Alexandra at the start of October, and the Great Raihania Shears Open final at the Royal New Zealand Show in Hastings a fortnight later.