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This year Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand celebrates 30 years since the industry made a commitment to protecting the places that make its famous wines.
SWNZ has evolved into a robust, independently audited programme that now certifies 96% of New Zealand’s vineyard area and approximately 90% of wine production by volume.
New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) has developed a toolkit for members to use in driving awareness of the New Zealand wine industry’s commitment to a sustainable future.
The SWNZ programme focuses on six key metrics: climate change, water, waste, plant protection, soil and people.
Te Mata Estate was one of the first members of the initiative, and one of the first to have both winery and vineyard accredited under the system. “Having backed this from the start we’re immensely proud of the programme,” they wrote in an Instagram post using the NZW toolkit.
OPINION: Eight point two billion people on the planet. Ten point three billion exported by 2084 (according to the latest United Nations' projections). And it is our role as farmers and growers in the food system to feed them. We need to do this as sustainably as possible, but the primary goal must be food production.
Sustainability is no longer a "nice to have", says Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand Programme Manager Meagan Littlejohn.
When Philip Gregan stepped into the New Zealand wine industry in 1983, it was awash with Müller Thurgau but rich with potential.
The waste-free Ripe Wanaka Wine and Food Festival won Sustainability Event of the Year at the New Zealand Events Association Awards this year, while Festival Director Nathan White was named Emerging Event Professional of the Year.
New Zealand Winegrowers chief executive Philip Gregan has announced his plans to retire in June 2026, marking 43 years of service to the New Zealand wine industry.
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