If you are coming to Southland for the 2017 World Shearing and Woolhandling Championships, there are five thousand reasons to make sure Gore is on your itinerary.
That's the total prize pool that is on offer for the GO SHEAR weekend in Gore, scheduled for Sunday 5 February.
The Gore District Council, Mataura Licensing Trust and Gore A&P Association have developed GO SHEAR to coincide with the final build up to the World Championships which are being staged at ILT Stadium Southland from February 8 to 11.
Gore District Council Events and Promotions Coordinator Emma Carle said GO SHEAR was a great way to showcase the Gore District to visitors to the south.
"We wanted to give everyone traveling south an easy way to take in all that's great about our district. You won't find an activity which fits better with Gore's rural city living tag-line than shearing and to have such great support from the MLT and Gore A&P Association has meant we can put on a pretty spectacular day," she said.
GO SHEAR will be held the day following the annual Gore A&P Show, which is scheduled for Saturday 4 February. Activities on Sunday 5 February commence with farm bus tours taking in some of the bigger sheep farming operations in the district and will include a stop at the renowned Croydon Aviation Heritage Centre in Mandeville.
Tours will return to the Gore A&P Showgrounds in time for the MLT TRAFFERS INTERNATIONAL SPEED SHEAR where the fastest shearers from around New Zealand and around the world will compete for a share of the $5000 prize pool.
Traffers' Bar Manager Chris "Bing" Scoles has a long association with shearing, having hosted Speed Shears in Gore for many years.
"We want as many of the World Champs and All Nations shearers to put Gore on their calendars," he said. "Speed Shearing is always spectacular to watch and it really is a one-off opportunity to see so many masters of the art going at it in one place."
Complementing the MLT Traffers Speed Shears will be dog trials, vintage ploughing demonstrations and a Dog Bark Up. The Gore A&P Association will also be offering a bus service to and from Invercargill on both the Saturday for the Gore A&P Show and Sunday to GO SHEAR.
2017 World Shearing and Woolhandling Championships Event Manager Jude McNab is delighted to have the Gore event on the World Champs' event schedule.
"Gore has always been a key stop on the southern shearing circuit and one of the aims of hosting the World Champs in a place like Southland is to make sure we maximise the benefits for the entire region. GO SHEAR will be a great day out and the perfect way to start the World Champs week," she said.
The town will also host the annual Southern Shears following the World Championships on February 17 and 18, with a number of international competitors expected to attend.
Full event information and registration details for the bus service and farm tours can be found at www.gorenz.com.
The 2017 World Shearing and Woolhandling Championships will be held in the South Island of New Zealand for the first time in its 40-year history in Invercargill from 8 to 11 February. Tickets and event information can be found at www.worldshearingchamps.com.
That's the total prize pool that is on offer for the GO SHEAR weekend in Gore, scheduled for Sunday 5 February.
The Gore District Council, Mataura Licensing Trust and Gore A&P Association have developed GO SHEAR to coincide with the final build up to the World Championships which are being staged at ILT Stadium Southland from February 8 to 11.
Gore District Council Events and Promotions Coordinator Emma Carle said GO SHEAR was a great way to showcase the Gore District to visitors to the south.
"We wanted to give everyone traveling south an easy way to take in all that's great about our district. You won't find an activity which fits better with Gore's rural city living tag-line than shearing and to have such great support from the MLT and Gore A&P Association has meant we can put on a pretty spectacular day," she said.
GO SHEAR will be held the day following the annual Gore A&P Show, which is scheduled for Saturday 4 February. Activities on Sunday 5 February commence with farm bus tours taking in some of the bigger sheep farming operations in the district and will include a stop at the renowned Croydon Aviation Heritage Centre in Mandeville.
Tours will return to the Gore A&P Showgrounds in time for the MLT TRAFFERS INTERNATIONAL SPEED SHEAR where the fastest shearers from around New Zealand and around the world will compete for a share of the $5000 prize pool.
Traffers' Bar Manager Chris "Bing" Scoles has a long association with shearing, having hosted Speed Shears in Gore for many years.
"We want as many of the World Champs and All Nations shearers to put Gore on their calendars," he said. "Speed Shearing is always spectacular to watch and it really is a one-off opportunity to see so many masters of the art going at it in one place."
Complementing the MLT Traffers Speed Shears will be dog trials, vintage ploughing demonstrations and a Dog Bark Up. The Gore A&P Association will also be offering a bus service to and from Invercargill on both the Saturday for the Gore A&P Show and Sunday to GO SHEAR.
2017 World Shearing and Woolhandling Championships Event Manager Jude McNab is delighted to have the Gore event on the World Champs' event schedule.
"Gore has always been a key stop on the southern shearing circuit and one of the aims of hosting the World Champs in a place like Southland is to make sure we maximise the benefits for the entire region. GO SHEAR will be a great day out and the perfect way to start the World Champs week," she said.
The town will also host the annual Southern Shears following the World Championships on February 17 and 18, with a number of international competitors expected to attend.
Full event information and registration details for the bus service and farm tours can be found at www.gorenz.com.
The 2017 World Shearing and Woolhandling Championships will be held in the South Island of New Zealand for the first time in its 40-year history in Invercargill from 8 to 11 February. Tickets and event information can be found at www.worldshearingchamps.com.
