Wellington  - New Zealand's answer to Spain's "Running of the Bulls" - the "Running of the Sheep" - went haywire on Saturday when about 1,000 of the normally placid animals ran amok through the North Island rural town of Te Kuiti.

They leapt over barriers designed to keep them on the main street and protect 7,000 spectators who turned up to watch the New Zealand animal icons given free rein in the normally sleepy town, TV3 reported.

Only 400 of the nearly 1,500 sheep let loose kept to the planned route and crossed a finish line helped by Prime Minister John Key, a former foreign currency dealer turned shepherd for the day.

"They've got minds of their own," one observer told a news reporter.

One woman was knocked out when she was bowled over by the scattering flock. "We're sorry if someone has got hurt, but obviously we do our best to see that they don't," organiser John Fagan said. (dpa)