Rose Lewis, Ariana 'Missy' Te Whata, Te Atakura Crawford and Pagan Rimene set the four-stand women's eight-hours strongwool lamb record on Tuesday at Melrose Station, near Owaka.
No previous record existed for the category, which is recognised by the World Sheep Shearing Records Society.
Crawford, from Gisborne, who beat an otherwise all-male field to win the 2013 NZ merino shears senior title, topped the tallies with 530, averaging 54.34 seconds a lamb, caught, shorn and through the porthole.
Te Whata - who grew-up in Mossburn, Southland, and is the niece of two world recordholders - was credited with 504, while master woolhandler and 2019 world teams woolhandling champion Pagan Rimene of Alexandra shore 481.
The remaining 423 were accredited to Lewis from Manutuke, on the East Coast, who now lives in Dubbo, New South Wales, where she works shearing merino sheep.
A fifth-generation shearer, she took up the sport six years ago at the age of 35, after working as a 'rousey' or woolhandler.
The record attempt required serious training and Lewis was hospitalised with a condition called RCVS (Reversible Cerebral Vasoconstriction Syndrome) five months ago, which meant she had to ease back on her training schedule, but she didn't let it stop her from competing.
While she initially found it hard to find her rhythm on the cold Otago morning, she found her stride, and said it was overwhelming and exciting to be part of the record-setting team.
"My father and his three brothers are in the world record book, so it was cool to be the first Lewis female to get in there and make my family proud."
"It's a great job, great industry, you can go in so many different places."
She hopes to set more records, including in Australia.
"I've got some pretty big goals on the world record stage, so setting one and with the team was definitely a cool start - you're not going into it alone."
Referee Neil Fagan said more women were getting into shearing and the new record would give those entering the sport something to aim for.
"It's just great to see those four girls getting out there and setting [a record], inspiring another four girls to have a go one day.
"They've got a target to beat now, which is not an easy target, but it's something for them to aspire to."
The event was the first of two multi-stand shearing record attempts in the southern regions this summer.
On January 31, Shane Ratima, Paerata Abraham and Leon Samuels will tackle the three-stand, eight-hours strongwool lambs record at Waihelo Station, Moa Flat, in west Otago.
The current record of 1976 was set by Coel L'Huillier, Kaleb Foote and Daniel Langlands in 2019 at Puketiti Station, near Piopio.
