Speed and precision on display at the 2021 New Zealand Rural Games

The Ford Ranger Rural Games was timed to perfection once more this year, taking place the weekend after a week-long Level 3/Level 2 lockdown was lifted, and drawing large crowds – especially to the Future Post NZ Speed Fencing Competition, sponsored by Fencing Contractors NZ and Summit Steel & Wire.

Competitors had a few more nerves this year due to the new product they were using. The conventional wooden posts have been swapped for plastic posts, which was a first in New Zealand competitions and speed fencing.

Future Post products are a 100% Kiwi-made innovation and are made from 100% recycled plastics otherwise destined for our national landfills, currently processing around 220 tonnes per month into highly durable, solid, round and square posts. A single 125mm/1.8m post holds approximately 320 milk bottles and 1200 plastic bags – more milk bottles and bread bags than most individuals would consume (and throw away) in a year!

Working with Future Posts was a new challenge for competitors

The challenges using plastic posts is that they are almost twice as dense as regular timber and have very high grip which means a few adjustments need to be recognized for optimum use and performance. For example, nails and staples need to be tapped and embedded first before hitting in as normal (40mm staples recommended). Chainsaw guide teeth also need to be a lot lower to cut through the plastic stay posts as some competitors found out on the day.

There were 2 heats of 5 competitors this year competing for the trophy. In the heats the competitors stood by their post hole borers waiting for the MC to say go. The sound of the post hole borers broke the silence as competitors augered a hole in seconds. The plastic strainer went in and was rammed up plum.

First heat competitors L-R: Hayden Walton, Corey Twigley, Tony Bouskill, Tim Garrick, and Jared Nicholson

Competitors call time when finished. The judges look for time/speed, correct height and plum inside 10mm each way. The top five go through to the semi-final and repeat the process with a breast plate put in this time on the correct pull for the fence line. Judges look for the breast plate being put in on the correct line and the flat of the half round facing the soil. The top 3 go through to the final.

This year, the final saw Tim Garrick, Bradley Fountain and Tony Bouskill fighting it out for the trophy. In the final the competitors mortise in a stay hole in the strainer, shape the stay post to fit snug into mortise. Then dig a stay block in at the correct angle and at least 50mm below the ground level. Two wires are run and tied off at desired height and strained up to 150 gauge, then a line post is augured in the fence line and stapled to the plastic post.

Tony Bouskill in winning form

Yet again the judges look for: • Speed/time • Mortise neat with no gaps around stay • Stay shaped square and with a planned surface • Stay block put in correct depth and in line • Wire knots tidy and in correct position • Wire strained up to tension • Post level and plum to wires and correct height

Tony Bouskill once again proved he is the man to beat at Speed Fencing, taking away the silverware for a fifth year in a row and winning a 50” LG flat screen TV worth $1400 for his efforts. Tim Garrick was second, with Bradley Fountain third. Congratulations to all who took part in another thrillingly noisy event.

A fifth Speed Fencing trophy for Tony Bouskill

Stockade also ran a competition for those who didn’t make the final of the Speed Fencing Competition, putting 3 battens up the fastest with their ST-315i staple gun.

Speed and precision was required at the battening competition

Speed and precision was the key things the judges were looking for. Staple placing on the batten had to be alternated from side to side and put on an angle. There were nine wires to staple up and most competitors started on the second to top wire and worked their way down the batten doing every second wire the same side and angle, once they got to the bottom the side and angle changed and they worked their way back up the batten. Batten square was used to get their level to the wires and height of the batten.

Jared Nicholson, winner of the Stockade Battening Competition

Jarod Nicholson won the Battening competition and went home with a brand new Stockade ST-315i staple gun. Congratulations to all who competed and a big thank you to Future Post, Fencing Contractors NZ and Summit Steel & Wire for sponsoring the event, and to the NZ Fencing Competitions team for organising the event and judging.

Written by Mike Renner