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Monday, 09 February 2026 09:08

Global team cultivates New Zealand premium eating grape vineyard

Written by  Staff Reporters
Greencollar's "mini league of nations". Greencollar's "mini league of nations".

A multi-cultural team is helping to establish one of New Zealand's largest plantings of premium eating grapes - while learning each other's languages and cultures along the way.

Greencollar's Hawke's Bay vineyard is part of a niche sector in New Zealand horticulture.

Fewer than 40 hectares of eating grapes are in commercial production nationwide, compared with tens of thousands of hectares devoted to wine grapes.

At around 20 hectares, Greencollar's five-year-old vineyard is one of the country's largest.

The grapes are grown by a multi-cultural team from Japan, New Zealand, China, India, and Taiwan, supported by Pasifika team members during the busiest months of the season.

“It’s a really great mix of cultures and levels of experience, with everyone bringing something unique to the team,” says Greencollar chief executive Shin Koizumi.

Shared lunches are a popular event on the vineyard, with team members introducing each other to food from their home cultures - from curry and samosas to sushi and cold noodle salads - providing a relaxed way to learn about language, customs and traditions.

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Vineyard manager Taka (Takayuki) Kagayama says the New Zealand lifestyle is rubbing off on the international team, highlighting the necessary balance between work and family.

“It’s not something we really have in Japan. Here, everyone always works hard to get their responsibilities completed but we know that our family time and things we do after work are valued as well.”

The approach to growing Japanese eating grapes is very different from wine grapes, he says.

“Wine doesn’t care what the grapes look like; while we need to be focused on the whole presentation: taste, flavour, balance and look, the skins need to be perfect.”

Operations and sustainability manager Xan Harding says the diversity of the team brings practical insights into overseas markets.

“Sometimes it’s the small things, like the way the packaging is presented, or the words we’re using, that can make all the difference.”

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