Francesco Botto Poala, of Reda, presents Bill Sutherland with the Otago Merino Association clip-of-the-year award. Photo by The New Zealand Merino Company.
Bill and Kate Sutherland, and Andrew and Deidre Sutherland, from Omarama, received the award during The New Zealand Merino Company's conference in Christchurch.
The association's merino excellence awards were held in conjunction with the conference for the first time.
The Paterson family, from Armidale at Gimmerburn, winner of the title for the last two years, was runner-up.
Moutere Station won the Child Cancer Foundation fleece competition, while the sale of fleeces and an auction raised about $20,000 for the foundation.