Christchurch Earthquake – New Zealand Winegrowers’ Update for Overseas Offices
On Tuesday 22 February at 12.51pm Christchurch was rocked by a major 6.3 earthquake in what Prime Minister John Key says “may well be New Zealand’s darkest day”. The people of Christchurch and the Canterbury region have undoubtedly suffered a heavy blow.
Philip Gregan, New Zealand Winegrowers’ CEO, was in Christchurch when the earthquake hit and can attest to the devastation caused. New Zealand Winegrowers’ thoughts and prayers go out to everybody affected in this natural disaster.
New Zealand Winegrowers have received numerous enquiries as to how the damage has impacted the New Zealand wine industry. After contacting a number of our members in Waipara Valley (58km north of Christchurch) and the Canterbury region it appears that the productive capacity is intact and there have been no reported injuries among members to date.
Taking into account the time of year and current available information, New Zealand Winegrowers expects there will be little impact on the production and shipping of wine. New Zealand Winegrowers has written to wineries outlining how they can help the people and businesses of Canterbury through this hard time.
For those that wish to donate to the Christchurch earthquake appeal New Zealand Winegrowers recommend contributions to be made online via www.redcross.org.nz/donate and www.salvationarmy.org.nz. New Zealand Winegrowers will also be collecting donations at forthcoming international events.
-End-
