North Canterbury News: June 16, 2022

Greystone goes carbonzero
Greystone Wines is now ToituEnvirocare
net carbonzero certified as part of the
winery’s bold plans to reduce its
environmental impact.
Marketing manager Nik Mavromatis says
the certificationispart of Greystone’s
innovativeand holistic approach to wine
growing and making.
‘‘We’re the first winery in the country to
be net carbonzero, 100 percent certified
organic with BioGro and practising
regenerative viticulture,’’ Mr Mavromatis
says.
‘‘It was alot of work to get to the point of
being carbonzero but wine is the canary in
the mine for climatechange so we need to
try everything we can.
‘‘If we don’t then we probably only have
twentyyearsleft of making wine on this
planet,’’
To achieve Toitu certification, Greystone
had to create an emissioninventoryacross
the entire company,including travel,how
much diesel and petrolthey use and
measures to counterthat.
Greystone company cars are now hybrid,
its new Fendt tractors are 50% more fuelefficient
and only carbonzero electricity is
used in the strawbale winery.
Even the glassbottleshave been
switched to lighter­weightoptionsacross
the production.
Greystone viticulturist Mike Saunders
says the company has embraced
regenerative viticulture, which involves
looking at every inch of the farm and
vineyard to increase diversity whileaiming
for amore balanced ecosystem.
‘‘It’sapracticethat requires fewer
manufacturedinputs,working with nature,
ratherthan against it,’’ Mr Saunderssays.
Mr Saunderssays acover cropping
programme is helping buildorganicsoil
matterand reducing the company’s
environmental impact.
‘‘We've planted amix of 16 species,
including sunflowers,oats, lentils and
beans in between the rows of vines.
Environmentally friendly ... Greystone
viticulturist Mike Saunders receives the
certification from Toitu Envirocare technical
account manager Shannon Gormley.
PHOTO:SUPPLIED
‘‘By retaininglivingcover crop rootswe
can sequester, transfer and store carbon
between plantand soil,’’ he says.
Plantsthat fix nitrogen levels are among
those planted, creating anatural fertiliser,
while irrigation usage is being decreased
by maintaining ground cover.
Mr Saunderssays anotheraspect of the
move to regenerative viticultureisthe total
integration of livestockinto the vineyard.
The teamre­trainedatrial block to a
high­wire system where sheepcan now be
run in the vineyard everyday of the year.
‘‘We driveour tractors through these
vineyard rowsnearly 30 timesayear ­that’s
200km every time,’’ Mr Saunders says.
‘‘Integrating sheep can reducethis by
50%, significantly reducing our use of
tractors, cuttingdown compaction,
reducing diesel use and improvingnutrient
cycling. We even havePekinducks living
on­site to eat the grassgrubs.’’
Greystone’s entire 50­hectarevineyard,
located in the North Canterbury wine
region, is certified organic withBioGro
New Zealand.
NEWS
North Canterbury News, June 16, 2022 37
Beef +Lamb slams policy
Beef +Lamb NewZealand (BLNZ) has
calledthe Government’s releaseofthe
Indigenous Biodiversity NationalPolicy
Statement(NPS)exposure draft
legislationbadly timedand ill­considered.
BLNZ is ‘‘extremelydisappointed’’with
thetiming of the release, just oneday after
amajorannouncement on the pricingof
agricultural greenhousegas emissions.
BLNZ chief executiveSam McIvorsays
farmersare feelingoverwhelmed withthe
environment­related policychangesthat
have already cometheirway.
Theseare on topoflabourshortages,
high on­farm inflationand managing
Covid­19.
‘‘Work is still under way on getting the
freshwater and climatechange policies
right,let alone fully implemented,soit’s
frustratingthe Government is putting out
yetmore environmentlegislation.
‘‘Ourfarmers arepassionate about
biodiversity and areactively protecting
andrestoring the indigenoushabitats they
have on their farms, but they had major
concerns withthe originalIndigenous
Biodiversity NPS.
‘‘This was particularlyinrelation to the
broad definition of aSignificant Natural
Area,which wouldhave restricted
agriculturalactivitiesonasignificant
proportionoftheir farms.’’
Mr McIvorsays BLNZhas beencalling
forsignificantchanges on key provisions
from theoutset.
‘‘We expect genuine consultation and
that we willbeabletoresolve all theissues
ourfarmershave identified.
‘‘Farmers are playing theirpartand
indeedare leaders in the protectionof
biodiversity. Sheep and beef farmersare
thelargestcustodiansofindigenous
biodiversity in New Zealandafter the
conservation estate, andtheyactively
managenative vegetation on thousandsof
farms acrossNew Zealand.
‘‘On average, about25percentofsheep
andbeef farms are covered in native
Sam McIvor
vegetationand ourfarmersare very proud
of this.
‘‘These regulations need to be enabling
forfarmers to carry on thatwork,while not
restricting farming.’’
MeanwhileFederated Farmers has
endorsed the goalofimproving New
Zealand’s biodiversity management,
includingmaintenance,and where
needed, protection of biodiversity values.
ChrisAllen, the Feds national board
membersays muchofNew Zealand’s
biodiversity remains becauselandowners
have done the right thing, and secondgenerationplanning
processesacross the
country are eitheralready embedded or
startingtobecome so.
‘‘TheNPS­IB needstobuild on and
support thisimpetus, not derail it.’’
Both BLNZ and FedFarmersare
criticalofthe six weekconsulation period,
saying it is inadequategiven how complex
this policy areais.
‘‘At thevery leastthisperiod needs to be
extendedtogiveusadequate time to
analyse what’s proposed andfor farmers
to have sufficientinpu,’’ BLNZ says.
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