Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce and Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy are working with the Marlborough wine industry to respond to the challenges of the November 14 earthquake and assist with the 2017 vintage.

"The Marlborough wine industry faces some challenges," Mr Joyce says. "The key impact has been damage to around 20 per cent of the wine storage tanks in the region, and the potential that a lack of storage will affect the ability of the industry to process the full 2017 harvest, which commences in around 15 weeks."

"Minister Guy and I have now met with Marlborough wine representatives twice since the earthquakes. It's impressive to see how far the industry has come in terms of their response over the last two weeks and we are committed to assisting them in achieving a successful harvest."

"There are a number of things we all need to urgently address including availability of stainless steel tanks, logistics, consenting issues and potential skills shortages," Mr Guy says.

Officials from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and the Ministry of Primary Industries are working alongside NZ Winegrowers in a NZ Wine Response team to tackle these challenges.

"The New Zealand wine industry is a big New Zealand economic success story, with exports totalling $1.6 billion in the last year. 70 per cent of the industry is located in Marlborough, so we will all need to work together to ensure the effect of the Kaikoura earthquake sequence on the Marlborough wine industry and the 2017 vintage is minimised. 

Picture: http://www.wine-marlborough.co.nz/​