Of the 46 bulls offered at Tangihau Angus in Gisborne last week, 45 sold for an average of $21,500 including a top price of $135,000 for Lot 2, Tangihau T549 sold to partnership Turiroa Angus in Wairoa and Kaharau Angus in Gisborne.
Another bull, Tangihau T608, fetched the second highest price of $115,000, selling to partnership Rolling Rock Angus, about 50km northwest of Hamilton, and Earnscleugh Station, near Alexandra.
Earnscleugh Station co-owner Duncan Campbell said he and John Harrington, of Rolling Rock, knew each other and realised they both wanted to buy Tangihau T608.
"We realised it was going to be an expensive one so we thought we better go in."
The appeal of the bull was his structure, type, perfect set of feet and good set of data.
Joint ownership was becoming more popular when targeting expensive bulls.
The $115,000 price tag was the highest final bid he had been part of to buy a bull.
Rolling Rock would use the bull first.
The joint ownership of the bull works well because mating was over at Rolling Rock by October and began at Earnscleugh Station in December.
He had travelled to the North Island wanting to buy the rising 2-year-old bull.
"I’d seen him earlier in the year and I liked him then and he was my first pick again ... I got the one I wanted. "