This biennial competition will recognise excellence in business structure, operations, service and innovation. At the core of the awards is the recognition of: the service provided to farmer clients, the development of staff skills, the provision of a safe working environment, and the economic efficiency of the business. How the needs of the individual staff members are meshed with the business goals will provide robust competition criteria and a well-respected competition.

Entry into the Shearing Business Awards will be available to all ShearNZ Accredited Operators and participation will be encouraged. This competition will add to the publicity of ShearNZ Accredited Operators and add profile to the entire industry.

Sponsorship will be sought from industry stakeholder organisations to enhance the profile of the Shearing Business Awards. This will add recognition of the importance of quality wool harvesting to the entire wool industry, from farm to final product, and strengthen essential partnerships.

Judges

An independent panel of three judges, who will have no business affiliation to any entrant, will be appointed on a biennial basis. One will be a recognised member of the wool harvesting industry, the second will be a person with rural business acumen and the third member will be a representative of one of the support organisations. They will all sign confidentiality agreements and commit to the philosophy of the competition.

Judging Process

Applications will be called for late in the year prior to the final awards evening which will be held in conjunction with the NZSCA conference in May, in alternate years, when the conference is held in New Zealand.

The initial application process will require a signed application form including authorisation to release the previous ShearNZ audit information to the judges along with additional current information on the business, including any additional evidence of excellence and innovation in their business.

NOTE: Financial records will NOT be required with this initial entry, only finalists may be required to make financial information available.

From these entries, the judge’s panel will evaluate all the information provided and shortlist three finalists. The judge’s panel will undertake work-site visits and interviews with their management and representatives of staff and clients.

The three finalists will be given considerable public recognition in rural media.

To complete the judging process, the judge’s panel will meet and choose the recipient/s of the award/s just prior to the final awards evening.