Thousands of grapevines have been removed from vineyards around Tairāwhiti in the wake of Indevin’s decision to move its operation out of the district.
Thousands of grapevines have been uprooted around the Gisborne district after a decision by Indevin Group to cease operations in the region.
Local growers described the move as ”a significant blow", with more than half of the district’s vineyards pulled out of the ground.
Indevin, New Zealand’s largest wine producer, confirmed its decision to cut its Gisborne supply of grapes in May.
Indevin Group chief executive Simon Limmer, in a statement at the time, said leaving Gisborne came after a thorough review of the group’s supply and demand position.
“It was a difficult decision to exit grape supply from Gisborne ahead of the 2027 harvest.”
Indevin has been part of the Gisborne region since 2010.
Limmer said the decision reflected declining demand for Gisborne fruit and the need to align the group’s supply base with confirmed customer demand and long-term portfolio priorities.
Mark Thompson of GisVin, who chairs Gisborne WineGrowers, said the immediate future for the grape industry in the region was “pretty bleak”.
“Just over 50% of the region’s vineyards have been removed, and more mothballed.
“While locally significant, this is in line with national and global trends of a diminishing appetite for wine, which has led to vine pulls across the global winemaking economy.
“Gisborne appears to be the hardest hit in New Zealand,” Thompson said.
“Next steps to be taken have been discussed in meetings facilitated by Gisborne WineGrowers and supported by NZ WineGrowers, local MPs, Trust Tairāwhiti and MPI [Ministry for Primary Industries].
“All stakeholders have been invited to discuss where we are as an industry.”
Thompson said the good news, according to NZ Wines research, was that Kiwi wine was in demand across New Zealand’s key export markets in Asia, North America and Britain.
“In fact, the fruit-forward, clean, crisp white wine style that Gisborne produces is one of the few growth categories in a declining wine market.”
NZ Wines Vintage Report found New Zealand produced 440,000 tonnes of grapes.
“There has been an increasing oversupply problem from the 2024 and 2025 vintages.
“This reduction in production goes a small way towards correcting that current oversupply.”
Thompson said the forecast for the 2027 vintage was that the oversupply would be smaller again.
“World buyers are starting to realise this and more inquiries are being made about available wine stocks, with a reducing amount of wine in stock.”
Gisborne’s boutique wine producers are tapping into this style with reputably good results, he said.
Hawke’s Bay vineyards have also been affected by the Indevin decision, although Thompson said the impact was less severe there than in Gisborne.
“Major players have swooped on some undervalued vineyards.”
Indevin’s Limmer earlier said the company was deeply grateful for the contribution of Gisborne growers and their Gisborne teams.
“We have been committed to managing this transition with care and respect.
“Like much of the New Zealand wine industry, we are navigating challenging market conditions.
“We have been engaging directly with impacted growers and our Gisborne teams and will manage this transition carefully and respectfully.
“The future role of the Gisborne winery is under review,” Limmer said.
“As New Zealand’s largest wine company, we recognise our responsibility to help lead the industry through these conditions.
“We remain focused on the long-term sustainability of our business and the New Zealand wine industry.”
