Hundreds of sheep raced through the main street of Te Kūiti during the town’s annual Great New Zealand Muster, held alongside the New Zealand Shearing Championships.
The event took place over several days, with the sheep run happening in front of cheering crowds on the festival’s busiest day.
The Great New Zealand Muster is a celebration of sheep farming and rural life in New Zealand. Visitors enjoyed live music, arts and crafts, tasty food, and activities for kids. But the main attraction was the woolly parade — a fast-moving flock charging through the town.
Rural Communities Minister Mark Patterson rode along the parade route and spoke proudly about the importance of sheep and wool to New Zealand’s economy. He said wool prices are improving and have recently reached $4 per kilogram — the highest in eight years. This means farmers can now earn enough to cover shearing costs.
The event also included the New Zealand Shearing Championships, where more young people, especially young women, are getting involved in competitive shearing.
Patterson shared that wool exports brought in $549 million for New Zealand in the year ending June 2024. He believes wool could once again become a strong part of the country’s economy, just like it was in the past.
