Whitehaven Wines has established a partnership with Selmes Garden Trust which will see individuals with disabilities engaged to help propagate seeds collected by Whitehaven.
Selmes have announced the closure of its native garden centre retail operations, but have shifted to a native plant production model.
Seeds are eco-sourced from neighbouring properties, to ensure survival and retention of local characteristics, and Selmes staff propagate the seeds. The plants are then replanted at The Springs property, near to where the seeds were originally sourced.
10,000 natives have already been planted, the next planting will start next week (w/c 14 July). This is part of a major regeneration of a 760ha property in Marlborough’s upper Wairau Valley.
Whitehaven has four sustainability focus areas – Climate, Water, Biodiversity, Community – The Springs project delivers initiatives in all four focus areas. As a family-owned company Whitehaven is truly committed to doing the right thing by the planet for future generations.
As a demonstration of Whitehaven’s commitment to native regeneration and ecological stewardship the company has purchased a 760ha property in the Wairau Valley with plans to regenerate the property’s native forest and protect its unique waterways. A long-term focus will make this site a major multigenerational project.
Whitehaven has eco-sourced seeds from neighbouring properties to The Springs. Eco-sourcing is the process of collecting seeds from areas close to where they will be planted – meaning that plants will be suited to local conditions and more likely to survive.
By using eco-sourced native plants Whitehaven is also helping to maintain the unique local characteristics of The Springs location. Initially Whitehaven established its own nursery at its winery on Pauls Road, but as plans for The Springs grew so did the company’s need for a larger nursery with the capacity to propagate up to 20,000 natives per year.
Whitehaven’s Sustainability Manager Josh Barclay approached the Selmes Garden Trust in Marlborough to see if they would be interested in taking on the project.
“Selmes Garden Trust is a registered charitable trust set up in Marlborough to provide work and work experience to people with disabilities. We felt we could support the community by providing employment opportunities for these individuals, as well as upscaling our propagation plans. It was a win-win and fortunately Selmes Garden Trust were immediately onboard with the concept.” Josh Barclay, Sustainability Manager. Selmes have recently announced the closure of its native garden centre retail operations, but have shifted to a native plant production model, like The Springs project, to continue delivering on its mission.
The Selmes team propagate the seeds and cultivate seedlings to be planted back in the same area they were sourced from. The first batch of at least 10,000 natives were planted back at the Springs during 2024 and a further planting is now underway.
Once established the native forest at The Springs will have the potential to sequester enough carbon annually to offset significantly more than Whitehaven’s carbon footprint.
However, the project is about “so much more” than a box ticking exercise, Josh says. “Carbon offsetting aside, the primary motivation for this project was to give something back, to create something that will have a lasting impact for the environment and the people in our community.”
The Springs Vineyard project is an enduring and long-term project, with a vision to connect place, landscape and nature with community and people through three key pillars:
- Restoring The Springs
- Reforesting the valleys at The Springs using Podocarp Forest, Red Beech and low canopy species.
- Creating a series of experiences such as walking and biking trails, and educational spaces to involve the community in an experiential and educational journey.
The video shows The Springs property, and explains Whitehaven’s plans for regeneration of the site, along with its alignment with Whitehaven’s four focus areas for sustainability – Climate Change, Water efficiency & Quality, Biodiversity, Community.
Video by Selmes Garden Trust – created for the Marlborough Environment Awards – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltREvbpGYIg
Whitehaven Wine Company, 39 Pauls Road, RD3, Blenheim, Marlborough, New Zealand 7273