The regional number lifted 10% to an estimated 2.34 million hoggets on June 30, a mix of animals kept by farmers to replace the many ewes sold for their high mutton value as well as trade lambs bought in early summer from drier regions further south for fattening and subsequent sale, a Beef + Lamb New Zealand analysis shows.
The national cull of ewes to supply the buoyant mutton export market means overall sheep numbers are down 0.8% to 27.31m.
That is because North Island numbers are down 2% to 13.34m, largely through the fall in breeding ewe numbers to an estimated 8.33m from 8.64m a year earlier.
That could not be offset by a 1% rise in hogget numbers to 4.7m.
Total South Island numbers rose marginally to 13.96m from 13.91m. The 4.2% lift in hogget numbers to 4.4m from 4.22m more than offset the fall in the breeding ewe tally to 9.04m from 9.11m a year earlier.
The national hogget tally was 9.1m, a 2.5% gain.
The results are based on a survey of 500 sheep and beef farmers by B+LNZ Economic Service managers at various times of the year.
Beef numbers rose from a year earlier. They were up 1.9% to 3.68m head.
The Canterbury-Marlborough area was again the main contributor as breeders keplt younger cattle.
Total North Island numbers slipped marginally to 2.57m head though the B+LNZ report noted a move by some older farmers, especially in the lower North Island, away from labour-intensive sheep farming to running more cattle.
Economic Service chief executive Andrew Burtt said ewes were in good condition at mating and going into winter because of good feed supply.
However, farmer confidence in strong lambing numbers was not supported by early pregnancy scanning of ewes, showing mixed results in the northern North Island, east coast North Island and Marlborough-Canterbury.
The lamb crop is expected to be down 3.8% to 22.8m, including a 7% fall in the North Island after a record lambing percentage last season.
The reduced breeding ewe numbers, down 380,000 to 17.37m, will be partly offset by more lambs from hoggets.
In the important east coast area, the number of breeding ewes fell 3.5% to 4.03m head though there was increased ewe hogget retention, Burtt said.
Total sheep numbers fell in all regions, except Marlborough-Canterbury, where numbers lifted 2.8% to 5.93m.
Hogget numbers lifted strongly in the northern North Island, by 4.7% to 1.05m, as strong schedule prices encouraged farmers to buy trade stock.
Otago and Southland, together the biggest sheep farming area, had a 1% fall in breeding ewe numbers to 5.66m, mainly from the intensive finishing country. Hogget numbers fell 2% to 2.06m, with a steady number of ewe hoggets retained in Otago but a decline in Southland.
Burtt said the proportion of ewe hoggets mated increased in both regions, which should partly offset the decline in breeding ewe numbers.
In the largest beef farming area, the northern North Island, covering Northland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty, there was a marginal fall in numbers to 1.22m, with fewer breeding cows but more trade cattle being run on abundant feed on easier hill country. Taranaki-Manawatu numbers fell 5% to 430,000, with breeding cows steady but lower weaner and trade stock numbers.
South Island beef cattle numbers jumped 7.4% to 1.12m, with Marlborough-Canterbury up nearly 10% at 713,000.
As well as younger cattle being kept by breeders, finishers bought good numbers of dairy-beef weaners.
Beef cattle numbers rose 3.5% to 400,000 in Otago and Southland, with more breeding cows and trading stock.
B+LNZ expects calving percentages to be similar or up slightly on last year in most regions.
