Two shearers machine-shear sheep while a rouseabout (or ‘rousie’) gathers up the fleece, in 1949. Māori shearing gangs were more likely than others to be extended-family groups, with women and children also working. Machine shears allowed shearers to clip more sheep per day, so after their introduction, shearing-gang sizes decreased.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Alexander Turnbull Library, New Zealand Free Lance Collection (PAColl-0785)
Reference:
PAColl-6303-29
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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