Looking after our land and our people

Kaitiaki

A kaitiaki (ky-tee-a-kee) is a person or group that is recognised as a guardian by the tangata whenua Māori 

All members of New Zealand Winegrowers Association are responsible for ensuring the sustainability of the wine industry so consider themselves to be kaitiaki, protecting the places that create their exceptional wines.

Established in 1997, Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand™ was the first national wine sustainability scheme in the world and is widely recognised as a world-leader, with 98% of New Zealand’s vineyards certified by the programme.

Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand was developed in order to:

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 Provide a ‘best practice’ model of environmental guidelines for the vineyard and winery.

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 Guarantee better quality control from the vineyard through to the bottle.

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 Assure consumers that products are made with minimal impact on the natural and social environment.

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Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand

Monitor, measure, reduce… repeat.

Sustainable certification must be awarded through an independently audited programme – either Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand or a recognised organic or biodynamic certification.

certification logos

Key focus areas of the Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand programme include Waste, Water, Pest and Disease, Climate Action and People. These align with several of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as adhering to standards and guidelines issued by the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV).

Hawke’s Bay has a higher percentage of Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand® accredited wineries than any other wine region in the country. We also embrace our Tangata Whenua links and strive to promote inclusion and diversity in our industry.

For further information on Sustainability in New Zealand https://www.nzwine.com/en/sustainability/

Organic grape and wine production is a growing part of the Hawke’s Bay and New Zealand wine world. Ten per cent of New Zealand wineries now hold organic certification, including many of our iconic, world-renowned producers. Organic Winegrowers New Zealand (OWNZ) is a grower-led organisation dedicated to supporting and encouraging the production of high quality, organic and biodynamically grown wines.