Sustainable Projects

The word sustainable is a very broad term which means different things to different people and organisations. At Ata Rangi, we begin with the question, ‘will these practices allow us to be farming here in 100 years-time?’

The soil is a huge part of that long-term picture and so it was natural to work towards BioGro Organic certification. In 2014 the first of our vineyards became fully certified, and the last few are currently going through transition  to full certification. 

Why grow Eucalyptus?

Having the Bush Block has allowed us space to experiment with ground durable eucalyptus trees. These do not require chemical treatment so when grown straight and trimmed well, they will become a future source of vineyard posts. Other types of wood are also planted to supply future building projects. The bush block is a valuable source of forest floor fungi and bacteria (aka duff) for compost tea. 

Compost Tea.

Compost tea is brewed using forest duff, seaweed, fish protein and our own compost.  This is a great source of minerals and protein to feed the soil and the soil fungi.

Solar Panels for Power.

We use most of our power in the summer during the day and over the harvest period, ideal for solar power generation. We have more than 170 solar panels which meet over 33% of our year-round power requirements. We are committed to recording and reducing any inputs of non-renewable resources. We bench-mark these against other New Zealand wineries as part of our membership with Sustainable Winegrowing NZ (SWNZ). The vineyard and winery are founding members of SWNZ.

Share a meal.

People and vines are each vital parts of our business. Our longstanding team are an essential core of our Ata Rangi whanau. Our staff-garden provides salad greens and tomatoes over the summer and helps feed the vintage crew during this busy period. Staff are encouraged to share produce from their own gardens and favourite recipes are often discussed and compared.

Packaging research.

Packaging decisions are reviewed regularly, with the choice of lightweight bottles an example of our focus on sustainability and functionality over glamour. Glass is sourced from within NZ to keep our carbon footprint as low as possible. We aim to use cartons with the highest proportion of recycled material.