Tiki Wine & Vineyards, North Canterbury, New Zealand
Tiki Wine & Vineyards is a family-owned, Māori wine producer in Waipara, North Canterbury, and the first vineyard and winery in New Zealand to achieve Certified Regenerative by A Greener World (AGW).
Founded by Royce and Sue McKean in 2006, Tiki has grown into one of New Zealand’s largest single-vineyard wine producers, growing, making and bottling its wine under one family-led operation. The name Tiki honours founder Royce McKean’s ancestor, Ngāti Uenuku Kōpako chief Tikitere Mihi.
For Royce and Sue, regenerative farming is a natural expression of “kaitiakitanga,” the Māori principle of caring for and protecting the land so it can be passed on in better condition for future generations. That principle has guided the vineyard since its first vines were planted at Waiata.
Waiata, Tiki’s 364-hectare (899-acre) home estate, is planted with 320 hectares (790 acres) of Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Riesling, and is managed as a living ecosystem. Diverse cover crops, wildflowers, and native plantings support pollinators and beneficial insects, while permanent ground cover and minimal tillage protect soil structure and biology. Sheep graze between the vine rows to provide natural fertility and weed control, and compost is returned to the soil to build organic matter over time, capturing atmospheric carbon and aiding water retention. Water is used precisely rather than routinely, and machinery use is kept to a minimum. Drone technology helps the team monitor vine health and ground cover across the site with less physical intervention.
For Tiki, Certified Regenerative by AGW is a formal expression of a commitment rooted in kaitiakitanga and is lived out across every vineyard season: “Being certified by A Greener World gives us an independent, trusted way to show people something that has always been true about how we farm,” says Royce McKean, Founder and Managing Director of Tiki Wine & Vineyards. “We chose AGW because it is the world’s largest regenerative certifier, with a rigorous, audited standard that measures real change across soil, water, air, biodiversity and social responsibility, not just a marketing claim. As a Māori-owned family winery, this certification is a natural extension of kaitiakitanga.”
For customers in New Zealand and internationally, the Certified Regenerative by AGW seal provides independent assurance that Tiki Wine & Vineyards is managing its vineyards in ways that deliver more biodiverse ecosystems, healthier soils, cleaner air and water, and better outcomes for workers and the surrounding environment.
Certified Regenerative by AGW wines from Tiki Wine & Vineyards are available to order online via tikiwine.com, as well as through Liquorland, New World, Four Square, and PAK’nSAVE stores across New Zealand, and via the winery’s international distribution network.
Follow Tiki Wine & Vineyards on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube, or contact Abby McKean at abby@tiki.nz.
