Rimene was among a swag of top performers from the South at the Otago Shearing and New Zealand Woolhandling Championships, which took place at Carterhope Estate, south of Balclutha.
Rimene said she was excited about the "awesome" win, although a little shocked, given she had been shearing in Australia for the past 18 months.
"I’ve been training for years to win this, and I go and have a two-year break in Aussie and come back and win it, so it’s crazy.
"I had no stress, was more organised this year, but I can’t explain [my victory] at this moment."
The victory was all the sweeter for toppling seemingly invincible Gisborne woolhandler Henare, who entered Saturday’s competition on the back of eight successive New Zealand titles, and 13 in the past 15 years.
"I love competing against [Henare]. I think we bring the best out in each other.
"We’ve been side by side [woolhandling] since we were 13 ... so it’s been years," Rimene said.
A southerner also came out on top in the Otago Shears open category this year, defeating titleholder Toa Henderson, of Kaiwaka.
Roxburgh veteran and New Zealand titleholder Leon Samuels went neck and neck with Henderson to edge his third Otago title, in a lightning-quick, tense final that also featured former Otago champions Nathan Stratford (third) and Brett Roberts (fourth).
Southerners performing in non-open classes included intermediate shearing champion Emma Martin, of Gore.
Martin also took a fourth place in the senior woolhandling champs, behind fellow Gore residents Autumn Hiri (second) and Saskia Tuharaina (third).
Balclutha’s Te Aroha Little took fourth in the junior woolhandler of the year, and Jack Pringle, also of Balclutha, took fifth in senior shearing.
