Two wool-heavy sheep on Te Mata Peak finally got a shear

Two sheep that had been roaming the steep slopes of Te Mata Peak finally have a shear and a paddock. RNZ reported the catch on November 3, 2026. Napier SPCA inspector Jade Van Syp said the animals looked like clouds of wool, with fleece down to the ground so their feet did not show. People had called them impossible to muster. A local farmer thought otherwise.

Six people and three dogs went up with him. He got above the sheep and pushed them down. One sat. The other was brought down by an inspector helping the team. It took four people to lift each sheep into a horse float. Van Syp had worried about heat as the days grew warmer. An ex-shearer among the helpers took the wool off while others held the animals. They were in better condition than expected, a little overweight, and the wool closest to the skin was fairly clean. That wool is going to a local wool business. The farmer who helped catch them is adopting the pair.