in new zealands closeknit shearing community joel henare is regarded as a lionel messi tiger woods or jonah lomu  a goat in the sheep sheds now 31 he first stepped into the bright lights of competitive shearing at the lambkin age of 12 henare has since notched 132 competition victories in wool handling  the highspeed art of separating offcuts from a sheared fleece in his discipline he is considered to be the best he begins his work with an artistic flick spreading the matted fleece over a table before expertly trimming snipping and slicing unwanted parts in rapid succession within 60 seconds he is on to the next one henare dominated the field at this months golden shears a prestigious event that draws shearers and wool handlers from all over the world to masterton a provincial farming town with a population of 27000 after notching his ninth open wool handling title in a row drenched in sweat and panting henare put his success down to hard work discipline and quick thinking you need to be fit in your body physically but you also need to have the mental strength he told afp consistency is key you need to have your wits about you at all times new zealand home to five million people and 25 million sheep is one of the worlds main wool exporters last year sending us284 million worth overseas rising farming costs and falling wool prices have seen national sheep figures dwindle from a high of 72 million in the 1980s yet their specialised skills mean shearers and wool handlers remain in demand despite falling sheep numbers mark barrowcliffe president of new zealands shearing contractors association told afp shearing is facing many different challenges including a labour shortage so there will always be work for a welltrained wool handler or shearer he added competitive shearing and wool handling is serious business in new zealand which even has a designated federation  shearing sports nz  to oversee competitions professional shearers need dexterity and incredible stamina to clip hundreds of sheep  each weighing around 60 kilograms 132 pounds  during a typical eighthour working day wool handling also demands a wellorganised approach henare said to do it properly every time not just up on stage but anywhere you go in the world golden shears organisers paint henare as the jonah lomu of shearing sports  invoking the storied legacy of the new zealand rugby great but this greatest of all time quit fulltime shearing work four years ago and now competes just as a hobby techniques tricks and tips on how to handle sheep and their wool are passed down through the generations in new zealands sheep sheds and henare hails from a dynasty his grandmother was a champion wool handler on the plains of otago two of his great uncles were shearers who competed in golden shears finals in the 1960s already young pretenders to henares status as a golden shears champion are emerging among them are teen shearing sensation reuben alabaster who broke the solo world record last december by shearing 746 sheep in eight hours alabaster said he was often worn out at the end of a competition but you just push through if its a dream youre chasing its amazing what your body can do he added like henare the 19yearold grew up around sheep sheds learning his trade since childhood from family members such as cousin sheree alabaster  the 2008 wool handling world champion shearing also comes down to training techniques its all about positioning some sheep sit better than others said the teenager its a lot nicer for the sheep if youre holding them right too some just have an attitude and dont want to be shorn at all even the best shearers in the world still get kicked