Vineyard
Low-cost posts for farms and no landfill charges for vineyards
A start-up in Marlborough is busy repurposing damaged vineyard posts, that were used to hold up the canopy, into sustainable posts for farm fencing. Audio
From water to wine: The story of Dancing Petrel
An idyllic lifestyle change for Kim and Graham Gilkison from Taranaki to the Far North saw them also purchase a languishing vineyard. Five years later, they're producing award winning wines. Audio
Downhill adventures for diversifying farmers
A new mountain bike park has the run of the hills at Rick and Julia King's farm at Clarence near Kaikōura. It's the brainchild of their daughter Genevieve and has replaced the Merino sheep and cattle… Audio
Horse and plough add French touch to Marlborough vineyard
Best of 2022 - Gordon the Clydesdale has been roped in to help plough between the rows of Churton Vineyard in Marlborough. Video, Audio
Winegrowers unearth a sense of place at Waikari vineyard
Transforming an old limestone quarry into a vineyard has been a labour of love for Marcel Giesen and Sherwyn Veldhuizen. Their viticultural journey at the site near Waikairi in North Canterbury began… Audio
Summer Series - Growing for Gold
Budou table grapes can fetch up to $160 a bunch in Japan. Third generation grape grower Tetsuya Higuchi is growing the enormous, sweet, picture-perfect Japanese style grape in Hawke's Bay. The grapes… Audio
Dion Peat: marking ANZAC in South Korea
Wing commander Dion Peat is currently serving at the United Nations Command HQ - 60km south of Seoul, in the Republic of Korea. The main goal at the UN quarters is to maintain the Korean Armistice… Audio
Birds vs Birds
Gisborne Grape grower James Millton encourages territorial birds to visit his vineyards during the harvest in the hope they'll see off others intent on pecking his grapes. Audio
A country lockdown
Rob Lyons and Joe Swann are mechanical engineers from Ireland and Scotland, making Triumph motorbikes. While in NZ on a mountainbiking trip, they found themselves stuck here because of Covid-19. They… Audio
View from the Vines: Into the Barrel
We're back at Te Hera Vineyard where winemaker John Douglas has had an unusually solitary time, thanks to Covid-19, nurturing his fermenting grapes, measuring sugar levels and pressing the grapes… Audio
View from the Vines: Grape harvest in a pandemic
The Covid-19 outbreak has meant tricky times for grape growers in the midst of harvest. There are fewer workers around to bring in the grapes and many winegrowers like John Douglas of Te Hera Vineyard… Audio
View from the Vines: Nets On
It's nearing the end of veraison - a significant time in the vineyard when the berries start to change colour, developing flavour ready for harvest. We've been following John Douglas as he works his… Audio
View from the Vines: Standing out from the Wine Crowd
In the third of the View from the Vines series, we tidy up the vine canopy with winemaker John Douglas before heading into the barrel room with a hen party who've arrived for a tasting. Audio
A View from the Vines: John Douglas vs Jack Frost
Last year, John Douglas lost 70 percent of his vineyard to frost. This season he's out in the nerve-jangling wee hours frost-fighting and watching the temperature drop. Audio
Japan quake sparks new life in the NZ vines
After the devastating 2011 Japan earthquake Kohei Koyama re-evaluated his life. The former investment banker came to New Zealand to make wine. Nine months ago he took another step, moving to Urlar… Audio
A View from the Vines - the Winter Haircut
John Douglas runs the tiny Te Hera vineyard on Te Muna Road just out of Martinborough in South Wairarapa. Pruning is coming to an end and it's been a long hard slog for the former psychiatric nurse… Audio
European Farming Insights
Former RNZ Rural News reporter Alexa Cook is travelling through Europe with her boyfriend. She tells Cosmo about the farming observations she has made in Portugal and southern Spain. Audio
British Bubbles
New Zealand winemaker Cameron Roucher is the vineyard manager at Rathfinny Wine Estate, one of the largest new vineyards in the UK and owned by former London hedge fund manager Mark Driver. Audio
Reading between the vines
Drones - or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles - can get a bad rap, but they can now generate meaningful data for a range of different industries. Video, Audio
Beloved Babydolls
Babydolls are rare, compact sheep with faces like teddy bears. They're in hot demand from orchardists and winegrowers, but they come with a hefty price-tag. Audio, Gallery