1855 woolshed being restored

One of the oldest woolsheds in the country is getting a spruce-up.

Built in 1855 by the Studholme brothers, the Te Waimate woolshed was a busy place — 100,000 sheep were shorn annually in the 22 shearing stands.

Heritage New Zealand said in a statement the woolshed had stayed in continual use to the present.

But constant use has made its mark, and in late 2022 the back side of the woolshed was sinking. The piles were rotting in the damp ground, beneath a build-up of sheep debris.

Through a grant from Heritage New Zealand’s Heritage Preservation Incentive Fund, station owners Henry and Katie Studholme were able to employ builder Michael Simpson to get started on timber repairs. The farm has been in the Studholme family for more than 150 years.

Mr Simpson, of Waimate, is no stranger to repairing heritage buildings. He recently sourced and subtly refinished kauri recovered from the now-demolished Christchurch Catholic Cathedral dome and used it as interior lining on an extension to a historical Arrowtown cottage.

In his spare time, he continues restoring the old Presbyterian church in Kakanui that he and his wife own.

"My dad was a good old-fashioned builder and he taught me many of the skills I use — from foundations, framing, roofing through to full finishing," he said.

"I’ve always been interested in heritage buildings. You have to react to what you find, and it’s fun to discover stuff as you go along."

Mr Simpson has been working on the woolshed part-time for over a year now and has been rebuilding the south side of the woolshed from the ground up. He has now repaired most of the totara joists, piles and beams, by splicing in new wood.

"The quality of the totara timber is extraordinary. Even the wood that was under mud and water only needed about 300mm replaced off the ends. There’s been very little wastage as I’ve been able to reuse most of the original wood. I’ve worn out many saw blades because the wood is so hard."

Heritage New Zealand conservation adviser Mike Gillies recently visited Te Waimate to view the progress of repairs and was astounded by the sensitivity and quality of Mr Simpson’s work.

"We just don’t see this level of workmanship. The attention to detail is fantastic."

Mr Studholme has also been impressed with Mr Simpson’s approach.

"Other builders might have said ‘we’ll rip the whole wall out, prop it up, rebuild it’."