The shield was won by North Canterbury at the Point Pleasant Point Gymkhana Shears in South Canterbury on November 4.
Southland had won the shield by beating North Canterbury in Christchurch in November last year.
The southerners took the shield on the road to encourage competition and defended it at the Ashburton A&P Show late last month but could only manage second place at Pleasant Point, beaten by two points, and the home district placed third.
However, Southland claimed all four finals, including the open title Invercargill shearer Nathan Stratford, who did not shear in the shield match, defended.
It was his sixth win in the event in South Canterbury since 2000 and his 81st win in open competition since his first season in the top grade from 1997.
Stratford won the open national title in 2014 and 2022, and was runner-up in 2019 and 2020, and third in 2001, 2012, 2015 and 2017.
The teams contesting for the shield comprise one from each of the four grades as required under the rules, chosen from performances in heats on the day.
Southland team members Dre Roberts, of Mataura, Cody Waihape, of Gore, and Jet Schimanski, of Gore, made good for their shield defeat by winning the senior, intermediate and junior finals respectively.
