From world records to farm ownership: Jack Jordan’s dream year

Friday, 19 June 2026

King Country farmer, Jack Jordan, has claimed his fourth Stihl Timbersport World Trophy title.

Winning a world championship and buying his first farm - it’s been a big year so far for King Country axeman Jack Jordan.

Jordan is buzzing after winning his fourth consecutive Stihl Timbersport World Trophy title this month, and he’s ready to try for a fifth. On top of his recent success, he and partner, Amy Clancy, have bought their first drystock farm outside of Piopio.

“I’ve won it every year since 2022. No one has ever done that before, so to be the first was pretty cool. Hopefully, I can get back there and try for a fifth time.

Jack Jordan bet his last world record for speed while competing in Hungary.

“When you look at it I’ve won pretty much everything there is in timbersports, but to do it over and over, that’s the goal.”

Early this month, Jordan travelled to Hungary to compete for the timbersports world trophy. The 30 year old not only took the title out again, but also set a new world record of 50.84 seconds for the event, beating his previous record of 52.53 seconds set in Mila, Italy two years ago.

Jack Jordan spends at least three nights a week training for competitions. Pictured doing a Standing Block Chop.

Jack Jordan has been competing in timbersports since he was about 11.

In under a minute, Jordan completed four back-to-back events: the Stock Saw, where they must make one downward cut with a chainsaw, the Underhand Chop through a log, the Single Buck where they must saw a disk off a log and the Single Block Chop through a log.

Jack Jordan and his partner Amy Clancy have bought their first farm in partnership with his family’s business this year.

Jordan has been involved in timbersports since he was about 11 when he was inspired by watching his older brother Shane competing at the A&P show.

“I just have a passion for it and that was something instilled in us when we first started. The enjoyment you get out of doing something well and succeeding overseas on the world stage is great.

Jack Jordan’s new sheep and beef farm is on the outskirts of Piopio.

“Plus it’s a pretty cool community, wood chopping, like the friends I’ve made all over the world, it’s pretty special, and it introduces you to people you’d never meet otherwise.”

Although he now enjoys all the events, the Underhand Chop, where they must stand on a log and chop through it, has always been a strong point for him.

One of Jack Jordan’s favourite parts of farming is working with his dogs.

Jack Jordan reckons he never thought of doing anything but farming.

“That’s the one everyone learns first and I learned a good technique when I was young. Then, as I grew and got stronger, it all sort of fell into place.

Jack Jordan reckons the last few months have been hectic buying the farm and prepping for the competition.

“I didn’t really care about the other events because I had one that I was good at, but now with timbersports you’ve got to be pretty good at them all.”

In the three weeks leading up to the event, Jordan was training for a couple of hours every night - sometimes under car headlights - to hone his fitness.

Jack Jordan is stoked with how stock prices have been the last couple of years but says buying in stock has been a sizable cost.

Normally, he’d train for a couple of hours at least three nights a week and has done for most of his life. The mental game is as important to him as being physically fit.

“There is an element of nerves, but I don’t find that they are an issue for me. I’m pretty conscious not to let them ruin the event for me. Like going all the way over to Europe, there’s a lot of pressure, you know, sitting on a plane for 24 hours.

“I think the pressure that I do put on myself certainly helps me … Even when I do succeed, I’m always looking at ways to be better.”

Jack Jordan and his partner, Amy Clancy, spend their spare time riding their horses.

Jack Jordan previously played rugby professionally.

Balancing competing and managing the farm isn’t always easy, but Jordan reckoned having Clancy on the farm helped a lot.

The couple moved from managing one of Jordan’s family farms out the back of Taumarunui to their Piopio property about three months ago. They purchased the 1150ha property in partnership with his family’s farming business, which involves his parents and four other brothers.

Jordan was originally from Taranaki, where a lot of his family still farm, but he’s spent much of his life in Taumarunui. Currently, they run 3500 ewes, 300 weiners and 230 Angus breeding cows.

The couple have been enjoying the move to Piopio and reckoned the rural community was alive and well with them frequently cooking up a roast at the neighbours and helping each other out.

“We’d been looking for a farm for awhile and this place just had a lot of character with the bush and the high tops … The community here is actually unreal as well.”

He reckoned the competition and buying the farm had made for a “hectic” few months, but it had all been going well. The biggest challenge had been buying in more stock, but conversely he was stoked with beef and lamb prices.

Jordan previously played rugby for the Taranaki Bulls and did a couple of years building out of school, but always wanted to go farming.

“Growing up on a farm, all I wanted to do was farming. I couldn’t see myself doing anything else and I think it certainly makes the day go faster doing this job.

“I enjoy what I get to do with my dogs and that sort of bond you have with them.”

He has about 14 dogs and does all of the training himself, having learnt from his father.