Skip to main content

Story: Shearing

Statue of shearer, Te Kūiti

Image
Statue of shearer, Te Kūiti

In the 19th century shearers were seen as characters of ill repute, but they have since become admired as sporting heroes. This change in attitude is shown by this 6-metre-tall statue of a shearer, which adorns Te Kūiti’s main street. Te Kūiti is the home of one of the great champions of shearing, David Fagan, who by 2008 had won the Golden Shears 15 times, the New Zealand open title 16 times, and the world championship five times.

Using this item

Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

by Jock Phillips

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page

Des Williams, Shearing – Shearing champions, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/18253/statue-of-shearer-te-kuiti (accessed 6 June 2026).

Story by Des Williams, published 1 March 2009.