In February 2023 Cyclone Gabrielle hit New Zealand’s North Island with force, causing billions of dollars worth of damage and wreaking havoc on vineyards in Hawke’s Bay.
Two years on from the devastating event, db speaks to Hastings District Council Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst about how the region is recovering.
“Cyclone Gabrielle hit us hard,” she says. “We pretty much haven’t looked up since it happened. More than NZ$1.2 billion dollars worth of damage was done to our region, so we’ve spent the last two years in full recovery.”
Silt and debris
The lion’s share of this work involved clearing enormous amounts of silt and debris deposited on the region. “Masses of water came down… it was an all-out assault from the rivers,” says Hazlehurst. “All our trees and vineyards were neck-high in silt. Paddocks, fields and vineyards were absolutely decimated.”
Clearing the silt alone cost Hastings around NZ$228 million, paid for by New Zealand’s central government. But Hazlehurst highlights a silver lining to the shock event.
“We have these big storms periodically and it re-nourishes our plains,” she says. “The general rule is that if the silt level is below the graft of the vine then the plant can be rescued, but if the silt sits above the graft then it’s done.”
“While it’s been hard, we are nourished by the thought that we are producing some brilliant land in which to grow more great food and wine. Our GDP in Hawke’s Bay is made up from the food and wine we grow here and export to the world, so rebuilding our economy relies on us being able to continue sending our exports.”
All in all, the mayor estimates, “it will take us 7-10 years to recover and respond completely,” not least repairing more than 100 bridges that were destroyed or damaged.
‘Best Chardonnay in the world’
Although last year’s Hawke’s Bay vintage was “very small”, picking for Chardonnay began in earnest in mid-February 2025.
“This year we will have an exceptional vintage,” says Hazlehurst. “We grow the best Chardonnay in the world, not just in New Zealand.”
Phil Brodie, winemaker for renowned Hawke’s Bay wine producer Te Mata, reveals that “we didn’t make any 2023 Pinot Noirs” due to Cyclone Gabrielle, and its total harvest for all varieties in 2023 was “about 50% of a usual year”.
“We had a lot of rain at once, and lost power here for about 36 hours, which wasn’t as bad as for some others who lost power for a week,” explains Brodie. “The timing did have an effect on the early picks, and although the 2023 Pinots were looking lovely, within two days they’d just taken up too much water. Perhaps we could have made a rosé, but we’re not in the rosé market.”
However, Te Mata was fortunately still able to produce a 2023 vintage of its hero wine Coleraine. Often referred to as “New Zealand’s first-growth”, the NZ$160 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (80%) and Merlot (15%) with a touch (5%) of Cabernet Franc has “a 50-year cellaring window”, according to Brodie.
“I’m so, so proud of this wine, more than any other Coleraine,” he says of the ’23. “I can’t speak highly enough of the viticultural team. The wine is a tribute to the detail and precision that everyone in the team gave.”
Land of the sleeping giant
Hawkes’s Bay, home to 106 wineries, sits within the district of Hastings, known as “the land of the sleeping giant”. The ‘giant’ in question refers to Te Mata Peak, a towering hill in the region, which according to local Māori lore is home to the Māori chief Te Mata lying in eternal slumber.
In May 2023, Hawke’s Bay was recognised as one of the ‘Great Wine Capitals’ of the world. The region joins Verona, Bordeaux, Porto, Bilbao, Lausanne, Mainz Rheinhessen, Cape Town, San Francisco, Mendoza, Adelaide and Valparaiso as fellow Great Wine Capitals. You can read db’s Big Interview with Catherine Leparmentier, head of Great Wine Capitals, here.
Speaking of Hawke’s Bay’s admission into the global network of excellence, Sally Duncan, chair of Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers, called it “an absolute honour.”
“Not only are we promoting Hawke’s Bay wine, we’re also promoting New Zealand wine on a global stage,” she added. “We had to prove our wine quality, our tourism, our education, but we did it.”
According to Duncan, there has been “a revitalisation” of Hawke’s Bay, which is New Zealand’s oldest wine region with vines first planted in 1851, since the announcement was made last year.
Hawke’s Bay grows a staggering 90% of New Zealand’s Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and specialises in premium Bordeaux blends, as well as Chardonnay (with 1,033ha planted to this white grape). The region also boasts the highest percentage of wineries credited by Sustainable Wine New Zealand.