Last month, Jasmine Mathisen (22), of Cleardale Station, Rakaia, and Jono Reed, of Grampians Station, Culverden, won that opportunity by taking first and second place, respectively, at the Canterbury Merino Association's junior judging competition.
Twelve competitors took part in the competition at the Hurunui Village Winery Cafe, on July 23. Miss Mathisen, whose parents run Perendales at Hanmer Springs, has been working as a shepherd for Ben Todhunter since May.
After leaving school she went to Telford and graduated with a certificate in agriculture, after which she worked for about a year and-a-half on a dairy farm.
She applied for her present job while taking a break from farming and travelling in the United States.
Cleardale Station runs English Leicesters, half-breds and merinos. Miss Mathisen said she had ''little to no experience'' judging merinos, but Mr Todhunter's father, Bob Todhunter, had given her a few tips and ''pointed out what to look for''.
''I was really shocked. I did not expect to come out on top,'' she said.
She has already begun honing her skills in preparation for the Canterbury show competition and, with shearing at hand, she was hoping to get in some more practice at assessing wool.
She had found her niche in sheep and beef farming and aimed to progress through the industry and becoming a stock manager was her next goal, Miss Mathisen said.
The annual competition is open to people aged between 15 and 30Experienced judges assess the competitors' skills in evaluating four merino ewes.
Each contestant is given 30 minutes to make their assessment and rank the ewes.
Contestants then present their evaluations and justify their rankings to the judges, who compare them with their own assessments.
The first and second place getters in the regional competitions compete against each other at the Canterbury A&P Show, in November.
The successful contestants from the show will go on to compete in Australia.