72 | RURAL SERVICES » McSkimming Shearing Taking the load off of busy farmers McSkimming is an iconic name in South Island shearing. Hugh de Lacy There’s one sort of character that Tess and Willy McSkimming won’t abide in their classic Kurow-based family shearing business, McSkimming Shearing, and that’s a ‘wanker.’ “We expect mutual respect, good attitudes and a team-first mindset across the board, from staff to management,” Willy says of their burgeoning Waitaki and Mackenzie district business that employs more than 50 staff at season’s peak, and shears around 400,000 sheep a year. That’s been the formula for success in an intensely competitive contract shearing industry that Tess and Willy have adopted since they bought their first shearing business in Taumarunui in 2005, and grew it to employ 120 staff. McSkimming is an iconic name in South Island shearing, Willy’s father Murray McSkimming having pioneered the system of combining a lot of small shearing runs into a single business that took the load off farmers by hiring, accommodating, feeding and paying staff at an agreed contract rate. Willy went into the sheds with his father the age of 13, and inevitably graduated through wool-handler and presser to become a shearer, with and success in shearing competitions showing he was a particularly good one. Willy’s brother Lane had a shearing business in Taumarunui, and Willy moved up there in 1999, working for Lane until he and Tess bought the run in 2005. Fifteen years later Tess and Willy sold the run and moved home to the South Island, settling in Oamaru, from where Willy worked for three years as South Island rep for Swiss shearing machinery manufacturer Heiniger. “Then an opportunity came up to buy an existing run in Kurow, not that far from where we live in Oamaru,” Willy says. “I’d worked on the run for James Kerr way back, and did a number of pre-lambs for Grant Murdoch who bought the run off him. “Tess and I bought it off Grant, so we’re back in the shearing business, although with a lot less pressure on us.” It’s pressure enough though. Tess does all the cooking – a midday meal and morning and afternoon ‘smokos’ – for the teams, while Willy organises them, commuting from Oamaru with the food, visiting the sheds, checking on work in progress, liaising with the farmer clients and jumping in to help the crew out when needed. Besides feeding so many people, Tess handles the administration, including tally and time recording for payroll and invoicing. The run extends throughout the Waitaki Valley and Mackenzie Country and into Central Otago with the biggest client being Benmore Station, where it takes 36 days to shear its flock of 35-38,000 merinos, halfbreds and quarterbreds. After returning to contracting, Tess and Willy set their sights on bringing the industry into a new era by focusing on combining modern technology with people-first values and a strong focus on mental health, animal welfare and communication. “The goal is to bridge the gap between farmers and staff, making reporting and compliance simpler, and ensuring people and animals alike are looked after as they should be.” Willy says. Backing the future of shearing In its sixth year now, 32 trainees took part in hands-on workshops across Central Otago, building skills in shearing, wool handling, animal welfare, and livestock care. It wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our partners, Elite Wool Industry Training, VF Corporation, MPI, NZWTA and hosts. Thank you to everyone who helped make this programme a success and congratulations to the 2025 graduates. The New Zealand Merino Company is proud to support the next generation of shearers and wool handlers through the ZQ Shearing and Wool Handling Training Programme. Photo: The 2025 ZQ trainees at Northburn Station Partnering with you to help make business easier. Quality Business Advice – We’re here to help. (03) 687 9045 | samh@compassbp.co.nz | www.compassbp.co.nz | PO Box 529, Timaru 7910 When it comes to advisory services, business accounting, tax advice, farming and rural accounting you need an accountant that has the experience and skills to ensure not only the best tax outcomes but the best support for your business. We are proud to support McSkimming Shearing
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