Story: Australians

Sharing shearers

Sharing shearers

One of the key labour forces in both Australia and New Zealand was the shearing gang. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries shearers moved back and forth between the countries, in a seasonal cycle, and some Australian shearers brought political radicalism into New Zealand’s shearing sheds. By the later 20th century, shearers such as this Australian team of 1984 were coming to compete in ‘Golden Shears’ competitions.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, Dominion Post Collection (PAColl-7327)
Reference: EP-1984-0918-9

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

John Wilson, 'Australians - Arrivals 1890–1910', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/615/sharing-shearers (accessed 25 April 2024)

Story by John Wilson, published 8 Feb 2005, updated 10 Mar 2015