Abstract
As the year 2003 is the year of sheep, this essay refers to some topics on the animal on the back of which New Zealand is mythologized to have ridden to fortune. The frozen meat export, which was realized by the superb ingenuity and pioneering spirit of Thomas Brydone and William S. Davidson in the last quarter of the 19th century, brought New Zealand two of her largest export industries, dairy and meat. Among variety of sheep breeds, Merino was first imported into New Zealand and Corriedale was the first sheep breed developed in New Zealand. Apart from major sheep breeds in the country, Dorper, an indigenous South African breed, has recently become the object of attention. It is very new and few in number in New Zealand, but it has many traits which other breeds do not have; no shearing, no crutching, no crutching, adaptability, rapid growth, longevity, to mention some. Golden Shears, the shearing and wool handling competition held annually at Masterton, attracts thousands of spectators as it is not simply a sport event but a performance art.
