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Story: King Country places

Roadside Stories: Te Kūiti, shearing capital

A towering statue of a shearer presides over Te Kūiti, which bills itself as the world’s shearing capital. The town hosts a yearly carnival, including a ‘running of the sheep’ down the main street, and a shearing competition where champion shearers – skilled athletes who can process more than 700 animals a day – are put through their paces.

Listen to a Roadside Story about Te Kūiti and shearing. Roadside Stories is a series of audio guides to places around New Zealand.

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How to cite this page

Kerryn Pollock, King Country places – Te Kūiti, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/interactive/34655/roadside-stories-te-kuiti-shearing-capital (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Kerryn Pollock, published 6 December 2011, updated 1 March 2015.