The Country 29/05/26: Rocky Hawkins talks to Jamie Mackay

We update the final day of the New Zealand Dog Trial Championships in Hawke’s Bay.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let's go somewhere now where there's a field full of
pickup trucks. I'm sure there will be, or in our case,
farm utes. It's the New Zealand Dog Trial Championships in Tiati,
just well south of Hastings there and Hawks Bay. Rocky
Hawkins is our guy. We spoke to him ahead of
the New Zealand and North Island Champs. There are four
disciplines if you want and dog trialing, Rocky, just run

(00:23):
me through. Who's on the leaderboard? Are all? Are any
of these competitions finished yet?

Speaker 2 (00:29):
Okay, we've had finals for both hundaway courses, we've had
the first round of North Island and we've just completed
both hunderway finals this morning. The results aren't out yet
and the heading courses of both finished and we're halfway
through having the long head runoff now.

Speaker 1 (00:46):
So are we likely to get repeat offenders? I e?
People winning the North Island Champs and the New Zealand Champs.
They run off separately for those, don't.

Speaker 2 (00:54):
They Yes, they do well the North Island of the
first run that you compete for, so out of of
two hundred and fifty odd dogs they take the top
even out of that and you have a run off
those top seven four and that determines the winner of
the New Villain Championship.

Speaker 1 (01:10):
Okay, well, I'm going to put it on your Rocky
Hawkins show. Are you picking?

Speaker 2 (01:15):
Well, I've watched them. I've watched them both. I think
I've told you in the last interview look out for
Girl Power. Well we've had a bit of a dog
troll MMP fought out today because three of the finalists
in the straight Hunt were women and I've got a
strong suspicion that one of them won it, and won it
quite well. Rachel Law from Taranaki had an exceptional run

(01:38):
and she's good stuff when she goes well. And there
could be any one of any one of two or
three win the big bag. But my own pick a
guy that wasn't Hawk's bad d and jury went very
very well, along with a couple of others. But the
judge is the only one that knows at this stage

(01:59):
who's won the final.

Speaker 1 (02:00):
Did my Ale rugby mate Brian Dickerson make the finals?

Speaker 2 (02:05):
No, he know he haven't. He's been here and he's
got a swagger dog with him, but no, I don't
think he've had a hell of a lot of luckless
time around.

Speaker 1 (02:14):
Yeah, we've been talking to Steven Harris who's sort of well,
he's near where you are, he's down the road away.
But in White pokerrel obviously they're saying it's very very dry.
Has the dry won't have affected the dog trials? But
are you seeing it dry on the hills there?

Speaker 2 (02:29):
Oh? Look absolutely, I mean we've had the fifth day
in a row where it's just been fantastic. There's not
a cloud in the sky now hardly but we've had
beautiful weather and bog haven't affected us. But watching you
know side besides go up and down the hills taking
year round of dust coming off the back wheels. So
it has dry enough and we could do with a
good dose rain here.

Speaker 1 (02:50):
We know when it comes to the sharing like the
Golden Shares and the New Zealand the New Zealand Shares
at tik Awady, that you can qualify from those to
make the New Zealand team. And we have an annual
I think it's an annual trans Tasman Dog Trill Trial test.
Get it right with the Aussies. How is that team selected?

Speaker 2 (03:10):
Well, it's normally selected from the guys that do well
at the at the Island Champs and the New Zealand Champs,
so out of the short ending yard event because that's
a little bit more similar to what they do in
this Trans Tasman. So yeah, the test team will be
picked today after the results come out. Yeah, so you

(03:31):
know guy's involved and that'll be looking forward to seeing
who gets in it.

Speaker 1 (03:34):
Okay, Well, Rocky Hawkins, thanks for keeping us up to
speed with the New Zealand and North Island Dog Troll Champs.
I really appreciate your interest.

Speaker 2 (03:42):
No, thanks for your support. Joan, all the best,