FILE PHOTO
The end of the running of the sheep in Te Kuiti was signalled in 2021, but the announcement this week that the end of the run also sealed the fate of The Great New Zealand Muster was a surprise.
After all, the NZ Shearing Champion-ships had been running for 19 years before sheep were introduced in 2004 and The Great NZ Muster was born.
The championships and muster were why Te Kūiti used to be “The Shearing Capital of the World.” The running of the sheep marked the end of the New Zealand Shearing Championships each year, bringing town and country together and considerable financial input to retail and tourism business in the region.
An incident at the last running in April 2021 raised serious health and safety and animal welfare concerns. The 2022 shearing championships and muster were cancelled by Covid.
“During the last running, we nearly had a serious smother,” interim president of the NZ Shears committee, Daryl Croad, said at the time.
Smothering of sheep can happen when a flock runs into a confined space and their heads are pressed against the fleece of others, impeding or blocking their oxygen supply. It can be the result of sheep being startled into flight in a wrong direction by people who think it might be fun to scare them.
The sheep run in 2021 came after Covid cancelled the 2020 event so discussions were set to be held between the NZ Shears Committee, which owned it, and the event’s managers, Waitomo District Council, in 2021.
But a Covid red traffic light setting saw the 2022 event cancelled, and those discussions were held only recently, Mayor John Robertson said.
Although it had been indicated for some time that the sheep would not run, the decision for council was more around the muster.
“And that was discussed last week; the thought was that the muster would not work without the running of the sheep,” he said.
Council staff had been working on it for some time, but councillors were involved in the discussion at a workshop.
“I think it was last week, though, just getting briefed on where it was at. It was from that, that finally we said the muster, it won’t work without the running of the sheep.”
The running of the sheep was introduced to the muster in 2004 as a highly successful publicity stunt to attract media attention. The shearing championships had been held in the Les Munro Centre since 1985.
The running of the sheep came out of a dinner conversation involving Wendy, David and John Fagan, then shearing committee chair Claire Grainger said.
“The committee was looking for a way to mark the 20th anniversary of the New Zealand Shearing Championships and at the same time promote our town of Te Kūiti. The famous running of the bulls held in Spain came to mind,” Claire said.
John ran with Wendy’s idea, with the concept being adapted to suit Te Kūiti’s needs and ensure safety for all involved, animals and people.
The biggest mob used was 2400 but this was reduced in later years where mobs of between 1000 and 2000 sheep ran down Rora Street. Media and tourists from around the world came to Te Kūiti to see the sight of large mob of sheep running down Rora Street.
In addition to the running of the sheep, the Great NZ Muster was a major event. The 2021 muster included a wearable arts competition, a great NZ rubbish race, and entertainment on a main stage that included musicians, hip-hop dancers, kapa haka groups and more.
There was face painting for kids, a rock wall to climb, a basketball challenge and a Scooby Doo inflatable activity station. More than 40 stalls selling arts, crafts and homemade goods were booked to line the streets for those looking to do a spot of shopping. Visitors were invited to get involved in line dancing, yoga and kickboxing displays. King St East (from Rora St to the Taupiri St roundabout) was converted to a food court, with food stalls, shade and seating.
The task for the council now is to collate ideas that will match the muster. The council introduced Matariki last year as a new council-sponsored event.
“But what we are now focused on is getting a discussion going on around what we could do, so we are gathering ideas,” John said.
He didn’t want to pre-empt a discussion about whether a replacement event would still coincide with the NZ Shearing Championships in late April.
“We’ve got a number of months of discussion and informing, thinking of what we want to do as a signature event,” he said. So, whether it’s around the same time or not is a call to make once we think of what the event might look like.
“You know, with outside events, we really need good weather. So, again, I don’t want to pre-empt it, but I would have thought that we would want to hold the event in a time that the weather is likely to be good to us.
“You know, we do have indoor facilities as well with the Les Munro Centre now with the Gallagher Recreation Centre, so the connection between the event and the shears may sort of drift a bit.”
Feedback would be welcomed on social media, John said. Once the initial feedback is gathered, he expected some consultation with key groups in the community and the public.
“In a way it’s sad to see it come to an end because it’s a huge and signature sort of event for the district, but it does give us that opportunity to design something that you know, that works well for the future,” he said.
