Ata Rangi has won a number of environmental awards, including the 2007 Wellington Region Conservation Award in the Business category for "an outstanding contribution to conservation" and the Supreme Award at the Ballance Farm Environment Awards in 2006. At the presentation, the vineyard and winery team also walked away with the Gallagher Innovation Award for 'Crimson', the Habitat Improvement Award for their work at the Ata Rangi Bush Block and the Hills Laboratory Harvest Award for the organic soil nutrient and water management regime and monitoring. Judges said that 'quality, innovation and planning' in all aspects of the business were the keys to Ata Rangi's successful and unprecedented haul.

Ata Rangi is one of only a handful of ISO 14001 accredited wineries in the world. This management standard, achieved almost 15 years ago, calls for continual commitment to measure and improve on practises which impact on the environment. The vineyard and winery are also founding members of SWNZ (Sustainable Winegrowing of New Zealand), which is a voluntary, industry-wide initiative introduced commercially in 1997 and developed to provide a 'best practice' model of environmental practices in the vineyard and winery.

ISO14001 disciplines have set us up well for our current pursuit, which is to achieve Carbon Neutral status within two years. For over a decade, in accordance with ISO14001 principles, we have monitored and measured water, fuel and energy usage, and challenged ourselves to find ways of reducing usage of these resources with significant success. We hope to be able to offset remaining carbon usage against Clive's extensive native forest plantings at our 120 ha Bush Block.  

In the vineyard itself, the main focus is on soil sustainability and health. We use our own large scale compost, as well as 'compost tea' spray with good results. The compost is made on site from winery 'waste' - grape stalks, skins, pips and yeast lees. It is turned regularly for aeration and gets surprisingly hot, reaching up to 65°C. Vine prunings are not included; these are mulched and left under the vines to break down more slowly.

Insecticides have never been used in the 30 years of vineyard management at Ata Rangi, instead favouring biological options such as predatory wasps for leaf roller caterpillar control. Biodiversity, vital in maintaining balanced insect populations, is encouraged with the use of mixed native shelter-belts and inter-row wildflower planting - both of which provide habitats for a wide variety of useful insects and microorganisms. Spraying is largely organic with sulphur used minimally to combat powdery mildew. Fungicides are very rarely used. With Martinborough's dry climate, high winds and free-draining terrace soils, disease pressure is thankfully very low. 

As many of you already know, Ata Rangi founder/winemaker Clive Paton is an avid and respected conservationist, immersed (regularly elbow deep in potting mix!) in the regeneration of New Zealand rata, a beautiful but rare red-flowering native tree once prolific in the lower half of the North Island. He is also striving towards achieving his ambitious long-term vision of a 'Main Land Island' in the nearby Aorangi Ranges. Clive is currently on the Board of Pukaha Mt Bruce, New Zealand's National Wildlife Centre for Conservation. Read more about his work on the Bush Block page.

Read ATA RANGI ENVIRONMENT POLICY STATEMENT