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A fine wine needs good planning
The wine industry is proof that businesses can grow
and also be environmentally sustainable.
Bacchus, the god of wine, is likely to be chuckling merrily as he observes how seriously we take wine production in New Zealand. We don’t quite worship it but the high standards we aim for means exceeding expectations, and winning prestigious awards.
Kiwi ingenuity and determination is helping the wine industry and Government conquer the food miles issue and has led to New Zealand having the first certified carbon zero vineyard in the world.
But like any good thing, producing good wine takes time. It also takes good planning and these days the industry is planning for an environmentally sustainable future.
This is an industry that is working within the framework of the Resource Management Act (RMA) to get the balance right between local government regional plans, communities and industry demand.
Philip Gregan, CEO of New Zealand Wine Growers, says since the RMA became operative wine growers have embraced the act as an opportunity to build a sound regulatory base for an industry based around sustainability principles.
The wine industry is leading the charge in business sustainability. CarboNZero certified producer, Grove Mill supplies the leading UK supermarket chain Sainsbury’s, and reported in May a lift in sales to the chain of more than 100 per cent. They have also been asked to produce the house brand for Sainbury’s.
The industry is a
significant contributor
to the economy, with
$1.2 billion worth of
total sales in 2006/07,
projected to reach $1.5
billion by 2010.
Winegrowers are showing commitment to sustainable production. Currently over 60 per cent of New Zealand’s total vineyard area is covered by the industry’s Sustainable Winegrowing Programme, and they are aiming for 100 per cent of the industry to operate under independently audited sustainability schemes by 2012.
To advance sustainability and growth, the New Zealand Winegrowers, in partnership with the Ministry and Local Government New Zealand have just produced an RMA planning guidance note Planning for the Wine Industry.
“The launch of the guidance note is another very important step forward in building a sustainable future for our industry. Our work with the RMA has complemented other initiatives in areas such as research and our Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand programme,” said Gregan.
The guidance note highlights various successful approaches applied in district plans to address resource management issues. It gives examples of ‘special areas’ and how to address issues, such as the use of agrichemical sprays, noise, parking, water allocation and use, and waste management.
On launching the guidance note in September, Acting Environment Minister David Parker said, “Given the growing importance of the wine industry to the New Zealand economy, this type of proactive thinking which supports New Zealand’s clean, green image also protects our top shelf ranking on the world market.”
This guidance note adds to the broad suite of RMA guidance that is on the Quality Planning website to assist planning practitioners.
For more information visit www.qp.org.nz or contact: Greg Vossler on (04) 439 7720 or email greg.vossler@mfe.govt.nz
