ON Sunday ten of the fastest shearers in the land will be competing at the #fordranger #nzruralgames in #palmy. Simon Gower is a serious contender:
✂️ Started show shearing at 12.
🔥 PB: 805 lambs & 804 ewes in a day.
🌍 Holds TWO World Records:
• 2 Stand 8-Hour Lamb: 715
• Solo 9-Hour Ewe: 732
Say hello to Frances Wright Johns, a 22-year-old arborist from Lower Hutt Frances is ready to take on her first big competition this Sunday!
#fordrange #nzruralgames #palmy #thesquare
#TreeClimbing #WomenInArboriculture #SpeedClimbing #Wellington #Footlock
Cory Twigley (Gisborne/Tairāwhiti) has been a force on the national stage for nearly a decade:
🏆 2024 Silver Spades Doubles Champ. (with Tim Garrick)
🥉 2x Golden Pliers 3rd place (2022, 2023/24)
🔥 4x Golden Pliers Finalist
Catch the champ this Saturday at the #nzruralgames #palmy #manawatu
The awesome team from #HeatlandCottagePettingZoo will on hand with 40 animals, lizards and birds - Saturday and Sunday in The Square #FordRanger #nzruralgames gold coin donation goes to the upkeep and welfare of the animals.
While our Aussie contenders are bringing the heat, they’ll have to go through four-time defending cham Adam Miller to claim the 2026 Sir Eion Edgar Southern Hemisphere Highland Champion title.
#fordranger #nzruralgames -this weekend! Thanks to #newholland and #transag
From working for his old man to World Champion. 🤠🌍
Tony Bouskill from #Putorino has done it all:
🔹 World Fencing Champ (Germany)
🔹 5x Golden Pliers Champ
🔹 5x National Doubles Champ
🔹 5x Rural Sports Speed Fencing Champ
🔹 2019 Rural Sportsman of the Year
Catch the legend at the #nzruralgames.
Tim Garrick has been on fire in the fencing competition scene. In 2024, he claimed the prestigious Golden Pliers Singles title and the Silver Spades Doubles Champs. He took out the NZ Speed Fencing Champs at the #fordranger #nzruralgames in 2024 & 2025.
Can he do it again?
Big news for #Palmy, #Ashhurst, #Massey, and #Feilding!
On 14 and 15 March, all bus services will be FREE – thanks to the team at Horizons.
Sort the fam, leave the car at home, and catch the bus to the #FordRanger #NZRuralGames. No fares, no fuss, sort your crew and jump on board!
From #Gisborne, Lloyd Kupu has over 20 years of experience under his belt and since getting into competitions in 2023, he's already:
✅ Qualified for #SilverSpades Finals twice
✅ 2nd place, Bill Schuler comp
@FuturePostNZ Speed Fencing Champs - 14th March at the #fordranger #nzruralgames #palmy
Lock it in! ✂️🧔♂️ The legends from #icestudios are setting up shop in the Hitching Post Farmers Market at the #FordRanger #NZRuralGames.......and giving away FREE mullets!
🚜 With around 20 stalls lined up, you can stock up heaps of treats and staples. Market lineup here: https://ow.ly/6PTk50YongE
Meet Morgan Bolstad (21) from Taumarunui, competing in the NZ Axemen’s Association NZ Rookies Championship.
the 21-year-old's trophy cabinet is already impressive:
🏆 4x NZ Under 21 Champ
🥇 2x Under 21 Team Win
🥈 Runner Up - World Title
🥈 2x 2nd Place finishes at Rookies
#fordranger #nzruralgames
Meet the McNie Boys from #Bulls! 🐮 Stu and 14-year-old Doug McNie
Stu runs the family sheep and beef farm you’ll find Doug crutching sheep or learning to shear.
They'll join the #NorthIsland team at the #skellerup #redband NZ #Gumboot Throwing Champs in #palmy at the #fordranger #nzruralgames! 🚜
Kristin Churchward is the undisputed queen of New Zealand’s most iconic rural sport, #gumboot throwing.
🏆 Titles: 9x National Women’s Gumboot Throwing Champion (reigning)
📏 Personal Best Throw: 36.88 m (NZ women’s record)
#fordranger #nzruralgames in the #skellerup #redband
21-year-old, Cody Smith from #Hunterville, first picked up the handpiece at 13, clocked his first 100-in-a-day as a teenager, and by 19, set a staggering personal best of 916 lambs in just 9 hours.
Catch him in the Tony Chapman NZ Speed Shearing Champs #fordranger #nzruralgames in #palmy
Bri Uivel is competing in the #NZArb Speed Tree Climbing Pairs Champs with #husqvarna at the #fordranger #nzruralgames in Palmy.
She started competing just 3 months into her arborist career, encouraged by her mentors. Nearly 6 years later & she placed 3rd at the Asia Pacific comp last year!!
Jarna Mihaere, hailing from Dannevirke brings a formidable 2025 resume:
🏆 Pacific Strongest Man
🏆 Natural NZ’s Strongest Man
🗿 Rural Games Stone Record Holder
Will he be the 2026 Sir Eion Edgar Highlander Champion #fordranger #nzruralgames in #Palmy #Dannevirke #HighlandGames
In 2016, Shelford Wilcox, a 31-year-old from #Gisborne, made history as part of a world-record Three-Stand, 8-Hr Strong Wool Ewe Shearing Record.
After a decade driving trucks, he's back in the game with three Open Speedshear wins.
#Shelfordwilcox will compete at the #Fordranger #nzruralgames
Meet 18-year-old Ethan Findlay from #Reefton, and who now lives in #Alexandra.
🏆 2025: Part of the NZ U21 Team that won the Test Relay series.
🏆 2025: Junior Sportsperson of the Year for the Southland Otago Axemen's Club.
NZ Rookies Axe Men Champs #Fordranger #NZruralgames #WoodChopping #Axeman
The team from #heartlandcottage will have about 40 different birds, animals and reptiles to display - entry by gold coin donation and all monies go to feeding the animals, managing the farm and working with rangatahi from our neurodiverse community. #nzruralgames #palmy #manawatu #pettingzoo
Hemi Braddick was part of a trio that set a new World Three-Stand Record, #shearing 1,745 strong wool ewes in 8 hrs - he shore an incredible 599 ewes!
This year, the 34-year-old from #Eketahuna also won the NZ Crossbred Lamb Champs & will compete at the #nzruralgames
After 3 years away from these grounds Luke 'Blue Mountain' Reynolds, is back to compete in the 💪 The Sir Eion Edgar Southern Hemisphere #Highland Championship
He's competed in 130+ career contests over a formidable 18-year span
#fordranger #nzruralgames Sunday 15th March in The Square in #palmy
The #chainsawsculpture exhibition at the #Fordranger #nzruralgames will be back for three days 13-15th March in #thesquare #palmy - exhibitors booked are from, Palmy, #whanganui #northland and #hawkesbay - they'll have items for sale and happy to chat about their mahi
Meet Brett Roberts, from #Mataura:
⚡ 42 Open Speed Shear Wins
🏆 11 Open Show Wins
🥇 Golden Shears Snr. (2014) & Jun. (2010)
🥈 Golden Shears Open Finalist (2025) & NZ Shears Finalist (2021)
💪 Shed tally of 503 in 8 hours
#FordRanger #NZRuralgames #Palmy
We're gearing up for Kids 'n Country comes to #Feilding on Saturday 10th of March - This is a chance for children under 10 to get amongst the action before the #Fordranger #nzruralgames. Pedal tractors, gumboot tossing, sack races, petting zoo. FREE ENTRY! Thanks to #manawatudc & #feildingpromotions
The team from #tranzag have the kids covered for exploring and having a go at tractor racing. #fordranger #nzruralgames #palmy #freeevent
Meet Lachlan Page:
🏆 x2 Maryborough Champion ('24, '25)
🏆 x1 Melbourne International Champion
Thanks to @TransAgCentre2014Ltd and @NewHollandAgricultureNewZealand you can watch him compete in the heart of #Palmy at the #fordranger #nzruralgames - Sunday 15th of March!
With 14 years of grit and muscle behind him since he first picked up the handpiece, Lionell Taumata from Mataura has honed his craft🏆:
✅ 501 sheep in 9 hours
✅ 5 Open Speed #shear wins
✅ Personal best speed time of 14.56 seconds
#nzspeedshear #championship #nzruralgames #fordranger #shearing #sheep
Please welcome #Southisland contender Jessica McCormick. The 34-year-old lawyer from Canterbury is no stranger to the @skellerup_redband NZ #gumbootthrowing championship, with a solid rugby and AFL background, and this year marking her FOURTH 💪 time competing at the #fordranger #nzruralgames
How smooth are your hands? 🤝🥚Egg Throw & Catch is back at the #fordranger #nzruralgames - have a go and if you're good enough you'll go through to the National Finals!
Just remember the golden rule: hard-boiling your egg is a lifetime ban! 😉
Want to be at the heart of the action? 🚜 We’re looking for a legendary flock of volunteers to help deliver the #FordRanger #NZRuralGames! Join the Rural Games family for an epic weekend. Sign up here 👇
https://ruralgames.co.nz/volunteers/
