The New Zealand Merino Shearing and Woolhandling Championships open shearing final on Saturday night presented a line-up of industry elite, including former teams world champion and three-time Merino Shears winner Nathan Stratford, world record-holder Stacey Te Huia and national open full wool shearing champion Brett "Kornie" Roberts.
But it was Samuels who came out on top.
The win cemented his place in the New Zealand transtasman team, and adds to his growing list of national titles — in April he became the first South Island shearer to win the New Zealand Shears open title in three decades.
"Quietly, I’m a competitive person. I like competing with other people — I try not to show it but there’s a competitiveness ...
"I don’t know what it is about the shearing industry but it’s a passion of mine now. I just love it."
A passion for the industry is something Australia-based New Zealand shearing legend Samson Te Whata is imparting to the next generation of Australian shearers and woolhandlers.
For the second time, Te Whata led an Australian Regional Enterprise Development Institute First Nation indigenous contingent to Alexandra for the Merino Shears.He hoped the experience the team gained would benefit the industry back home.
"The wool harvested here [in Central Otago], the people are attentive to detail in a natural way ... if we can capture this and take some of the skills in among our people with our children here now, that can only be good for us for our clip in Australia."
After winning the open woolhandling title South Otago woolhandler Tia Potae is set to join Samuels in the New Zealand transtasman team.
