Kaharau Angus sold all 74 bulls for an average of $26,122 including a top price of $220,000 for bull Kaharau 24V314 in Gisborne last week.
The buyer of the top bull was a syndicate of Earnscleugh Station High Country Genetics, near Alexandra, Rolling Rock Angus, near Raglan, Waikato, and a semen-sharing partnership with Ardrossan Angus in Australia.
Earnscleugh Station co-owner Duncan Campbell said before the sale, he knew the bull would fetch a high price because of its quality and the talk in the industry about him.
"We knew it was never going to be cheap and it would break the record, but by how much we weren’t sure."
The previous record for the highest price paid for a bull was $168,000 for an Angus bull in Marlborough a week earlier.
Mr Campbell said his syndicate had no plan B so kept bidding until they won Kaharau 24V314. The appeal of the bull was its "depth, thickness and perfect feet".
"He is a real chunky style of bull."
Kaharau 24V314 was an embryo transfer bull sired by Rangatira Charles, out of dam Kaharau Jess.
The value of the dam’s seven sons at the sale fetched more than $600,000, Mr Campbell said.
"She is obviously one of the best in the herd."
It is estimated the bull will finish mating at Rolling Rock by October and begin at Earnscleugh Station in December.
Earnscleugh Station and Rolling Rock already had a shared ownership in another Angus bull, Tangihau T608, which they bought from Tangihau Angus for $115,000 in 2024.
The syndicate renamed the bull Tangihau Traveller.
"The travel doesn’t worry him and now there will be another bull on the same truck."
Tangihau Traveller got straight to work after travelling from Raglan to Central Otago.
"[Each time] he arrives, I have some cows ready for him and you’d think he’d want to go down to the creek for a stretch and some grass, but he’s not interested, he’s straight into the cows."
Kaharau Angus stud master Penny Hoogerbrug, of Gisborne, said the sale was a shock.
"It was so incredibly exciting. I knew there was a lot of interest in lots 2 and 3, but I had no idea it would go that high, it was outstanding."
The second highest price paid for a bull at Kaharau Angus was $165,000 for lot 2, bull Kaharau 24V325, bought by Umbrella Range Angus in Waikaia, Northern Southland.
