2006 Wellington BFEA winners

Ata Rangi wins Supreme Environment Award

Innovation, quality and planning are the three words the judges used to describe Clive Paton and the Ata Rangi team, who were named the 2006 Supreme Award winner in the Greater Wellington Region Ballance Environment Awards. The judges noted: ‘These three characteristics appear throughout and have been applied to the environmental, economic and social aspects of the business, resulting in an excellent example of sustainable land use.’

Ata Rangi is based in Martinborough, owned and run by founder Clive Paton, his wife Phyll Pattie and sister Ali Paton. They produce around 15,000 cases of internationally recognised wine annually and are one of a small number of vineyards in the industry to adopt the rigorous ISO14001 standard.

A former sharemilker, Clive is one of the original four pioneers to plant vines in the Martinborough area in 1980.

Ata Rangi is now closely involved with Project Crimson. Propagation is underway using the bush block rata material. And Ata Rangi’s owners have named their second label pinot noir ‘Crimson’, with a portion of the proceeds from each bottle going towards the replanting project on Tinakori Hill above Wellington.

The Ata Rangi vineyard and winery also won the Hill Laboratories Harvest Award, Gallagher Innovation Award and the PGG Wrightson Habitat Improvement Award.

Other winners were:

PPCS Livestock Farm Award
Michael and Richard Ashby

Rabobank Land and Life Award
Michael and Richard Ashby

Livestock Improvement Dairy Farm Award
Keith and Jo Dennis

Ballance Agri-nutrients Nutrient Management Award
Keith and Jo Dennis

Akura Conservation Centre Lifestyle Farm/Small Block Award
Nan McDonald and Sue Kingsford