A group of women shearers have made history today, becoming the first to set a world record in their shearing category.
The four-stand women's 9-hours strong wool lamb record challenge started at 5am in a woolshed at Waihi-Pukawa Station, near Turangi, with the group aiming to shear at least 2000 lambs.
It finished at 5pm, with the women easily surpassing their target by establishing a record of 2066 lambs in nine hours.
It was the first multi-stand record since mother-and-daughter Marg and Ingrid Bayne's did a two-stand record 11 years ago, and the first by any greater number of women in 41 years.
There is no current four-stand women's record under World Sheep Shearing Record Society rules formulated in the mid-1980s.
The shearers had started physically preparing more than six months ago, although a replacement had had to be brought in after the withdrawal of injured shearer Helga Sinclair.
The group said they had been inspired by Canadian shearer Pauline Bolay who shore a solo women's eight-hour record of 510 in Waikato in December.
The new world record holders are Megan Whitehead, of Gore, who lead the way with 608, Blenheim contractor Sarah Higgins, originally from Havelock, who shore 528, Natalya Rangiawha, from Raglan, who shore 507, and Amy Silcock, from Wairarapa farming locality Tiraumea, who shore 423.
