The world's most prestigious sheep shearing competition is coming to Southland for the first time and is expected to bring up to 8000 people to Invercargill.

The city will host the Golden Shears World Championships Southland 2017, it was confirmed on Thursday.

Shearing Sports New Zealand chairman David Fagan, who confirmed the location, said shearers from about 30 different countries would compete.

NICOLE JOHNSTONE/FAIRFAX NZ Jason Ratima works in a shearing shed near Browns.

The event would attract 7000 to 8000 people during three days, not to mention 4500 sheep.

"The economic impact will be significant."

Stadium Southland would serve as the main venue, Fagan said.

"The facility there is by far the best facility in the world to host this event."

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ILT Stadium Southland general manager Nigel Skelt said the stadium would be ready.

"It's a big event, clearly," he said.

"The challenge is there for us, but it's hugely exciting."

To prevent the stadium from bursting at the seams, not all the sheep would be inside at once. The ventilation system would help mitigate the smell, Skelt said.

"The sheep will come in relatively empty in terms of what they've eaten and drunk."

Fagan said a charitable trust called the New Zealand Shearing Foundation had been set up for the competition.

Hosting the competition would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, he said.

New Zealand Shearing Foundation chairman Tom Wilson said there were plans to promote the event in Europe and Asia. A website was expected to be launched at the weekend, he said.

"It'll be great for the economy."

Wilson said sheep used in the event would come from Southland. Other areas in Southland would host events prior to the main competition, he said.

Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt said he was excited the championships were coming to the south.

"It's certainly an exciting event," he said.

"Sheep are such an important part of our heritage. I expect it'll attract wide interest."

Venture Southland conference and events team leader Liz Williams said the championships would be one of the biggest events in Southland in some time, but the community would support it.

"It's a reasonably costly event to put on," she said.

"Southlanders traditionally support events. I think it'll appeal to more than just the rural community. This is an event that will involve the whole region."

Lodging for thousands of visitors - as well as competitors from about 30 different countries - could be a challenge.

Between the Invercargill Licensing Trust and members of the Motel Association of New Zealand, there were just over 500 rooms/units in Invercargill itself, equating to about 1400 beds, Williams said. Additional motels, B&B's, holiday parks and other forms of accommodation added to that total, she said.

There were another 400 beds within a 50-kilometre radius of Invercargill, Williams said.

Shadbolt said one possibility was to turn Invercargill's Surrey Park into a temporary campground, as had happened at a Vero car rally in the early 2000s.

"It was a stretch, but we coped."

Southland District Mayor Gary Tong said having the shearing championships in Southland was similar in magnitude to Prince Harry's visit in May.

"Any promotion of this magnitude is huge," he said.

"It's international coverage. It's just great that our region's been recognised overseas."

Wilson said the event would be shown on television locally and internationally, as well as live-streamed online.

Golden Shears World Championships Southland 2017 will take place from February 9-11, 2017.

At a glance: Golden Shears World Championships Southland 2017



30 - home countries of competitors

4500 - estimated number of sheep



7000 to 8000 - estimated visitors

29.8 million - estimated number of sheep in New Zealand

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Ben Mack: @benaroundearth