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Story: Shearing

Māori shearing gang

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Māori shearing gang

A gang of Māori shearers shear sheep outside, with only a willow tree above and tarpaulins on the ground, in the Bay of Islands around 1900. By then Māori were recognised as highly proficient shearers.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: PAColl-8620

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Des Williams, Shearing – Early shearing, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/18233/maori-shearing-gang (accessed 5 June 2026).

Story by Des Williams, published 1 March 2009.