Ovinpiades entrants set to give it a try

Lincoln University student Peter Klaassen is looking forward to representing his country at the ovine version of the Olympics in Oamaru.

Mr Klaassen (22) and Massey University student Hamish Best will fly the flag for New Zealand at the World Ovinpiades, an international programme of professional development and sheep industry learning for shepherds aged between 18 and 25, held in tandem with a two-day competition.

While ovinpiades are already happening in Europe and the UK, the inaugural world event will be held in North Otago this year.

The competition will be held on November 1 and 2 and will include a pentathlon of activities designed to test shepherding skills.

The best young shepherds from each competing country will be judged on a variety of tasks, including sorting sheep, handling and crutching techniques, and shearing. They will also be questioned on flock management and health issues.

Mr Klaassen and Mr Best were chosen from students that Beef and Lamb New Zealand sponsor for scholarships.

Twenty young shepherds, who have already won events at home, will represent their countries.

They will be accompanied by self-funded sheep industry representatives from each invited country - Argentina, Australia, Canada, England, France, Ireland, Scotland, Uruguay, the United States and Wales - all of whom also have a team in the Rugby World Cup.

The Ovinpiades concept started at the International Sheepmeat Forum in Brussels in 2009. In 2010, discussions between European delegates identified a strong link between rugby-playing countries and sheep production.

That triggered the idea to run an inaugural world event in New Zealand on the back of the World Cup.

Professional development and industry learning will feature tours of meat and wool processors, visits to sheep farms and Lincoln University, and a field day at Caberfeidh Station in the Hakataramea Valley. There will also be an awards dinner on November 4.

Mr Klaassen, who is studying for his master of commerce (agricultural) degree, was looking forward to the event.

While not entirely sure what it entailed, he understood it was similar to the Young Farmer Contest, although focused on sheep. The Young Farmer Contest was something he intended having a crack at in the future.

Representing New Zealand was both exciting and slightly scary. He was doing some preparation - a shearing course was going to help - and asking farmers for advice.

"I've been trying to get a bit of practice," he said.

Mr Klaassen was not from a farming background - his parents were both nurses in Whakatane - but they had family friends who were farming and he spent a lot of time on the farm. His long-term goal was to own his own farm.