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Monday, 06 September 2021 15:30

New Levy Rates and the Levy Vote

Written by  Sarah Wilson
Sarah Wilson Sarah Wilson

New Levy Rate

On 24 June 2021, the New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) Board set the following levy rates for the year 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022:

  • Wine Levy: The levy rate to apply to sales of grape wine is 2.75 cents + GST per litre
  • Grape Levy: The levy rate on winegrapes from vintage 2022 is 0.825% + GST of the farmgate price, and includes:
    • grapes sold or exported by or on behalf of the grower;
    • or made into grape juice or grape juice concentrate that is sold or exported by or on behalf of the grower.

These rates are set by NZW pursuant to clause 11 of the Commodity Levies (Winegrapes) Order 2016 and clause 9 of the Wine (Grape Wine Levy) Order 2016.

If you have any questions, please contact our advocacy team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Upcoming Levy Vote

This coming September, growers and wineries will be asked to cast their votes on the future of the grape and wine levies which fund NZW.

Timeframes

  • More details about the proposals, including the draft ballot paper, will be made available on the NZW website shortly.
  • On 6 August 2021 there will be a webinar with more details about the levy votes. You can submit questions in advance by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Voting opens on 20 September.
  • Voting closes on 1 October, and the result will be made shortly afterwards.

What am I being asked to vote on?

There are two votes being held simultaneously - one on the grape levy and another on the wine levy. Some NZW members will be eligible to vote for one levy, and others will be eligible to vote in both.

The NZW Board has not recommended any change to the key levy parameters that members have been familiar with over the past five years. This means it is proposed that:

  • The separate levies on grapes and wine are retained.
  • The basis of the levies (volume for wine and value for grapes) remains unchanged.
  • There is no change to the maximum levy rates allowed - these rates are above the current rates that are actually payable by members.
  • The levy rates will be set annually by the NZW Board.
  • The maximum payment for large levy payers is retained, as is the fact there is no minimum payment by any member.

How will the vote work?

The vote is being administered by an independent organisation, Electionz.com,who have run other recent elections for NZW (including our 2020 Board elections).Your voting forms will come from Electionz.com rather than from NZW, so keep an eye out for these in your inbox.

To get a positive result in the grape levy referendum requires that, of those members who vote, 50 percent by number and 50 percent by value of levy payment must vote in favour of the levy. For wine, the requirement is 60 percent voting in favour. If the levy orders are renewed,this will take effect on 1 July 2022 for a further six years.

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