Sustaining momentum

Genuine commitment to sustainability has been a guiding principle for the New Zealand wine industry for many years. From its beginnings as the Integrated Winegrape Production system in 1994, Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWN Z) has evolved to become a world-leading programme with 85% of total production capacity now within the scheme — well on the way to the goal of 100% by 2012.

SWN Z has had a big year with a very large number of new members coming on board. The introduction of new scorecards and the roll-out of a new web interface have improved both the content and workability of the programme. These developments have been complemented by the development of new tools to benchmark water and energy use and waste management, and a major project to move the industry towards nil residue production.

Organic winegrowing has also moved forward with the creation of Organic Winegrowing New Zealand and a very successful conference with more than 200 winery and grower attendees.