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Change in Landuse

Figure 1 shows the change in land cover (%) in Marlborough from 2008 to 2018. The amount of pasture in Marlborough is slowly decreasing as we see the steady increase of land being converted to vineyards and Forestry.

Figure 1. Change of four core land cover classes identified in Marlborough from 2008 to 2018. Source LCDB 3 to 5.

Viticulture

The expansion of Marlborough's wine industry over the past three decades has changed the face of the province. Marlborough remains New Zealand's largest wine region and accounts for a substantial amount of the region’s economy. The demand for land for vineyards has caused many traditional pastoral farms to convert to vineyards.

Land cover in Marlborough is classified using the NZ Land Cover database. The most recent version of LCDB is version 5.0. This version is based on data collected during the summer of 2018/19 and was published in January 2020. Class code 33 on the LCDB includes vineyards as well as orchards and other perennial crops. In Marlborough, this code will be predominantly vineyards.

Figure 2 shows the growth in vineyards since 1996, from 4,920 ha in 1996 to 30,621 ha in 2018. Growth of this type of production land from 1996 to 2008 was dramatic. Following the Global financial Crisis in 2008, growth in vineyard plantings slowed. Since 2008 increases in vineyard plantings have been driven largely by vineyard developments by large wine companies.

Figure 2. The expansion of viticulture in Marlborough from 1996 to 2018. Source MDC council vineyard plantings

Go to the Marlborough Vineyard Coverage map

Table 1. Area (ha) of land use over time.

As vineyard plantings increase in Marlborough so too does the conversion of pastoral land to viticulture. As Table 1 shows, the area of pasture in Marlborough has significantly decreased from 2008 to 2018, whilst in comparison the area of vineyards has expanded. This decrease in pasture may not only be due to the conversion to vineyards but also the expansion of Marlborough’s urban and forestry areas.

Council maintains a record of vineyard plantings derived by field survey and monitoring of aerial and satellite imagery. This information is collected as it has a wide range of end uses across various integrated work streams within Council, including;

  • Providing information about the infrastructure required for irrigation and water storage,
  • Urban development and infrastructure planning
  • Labour provision,
  • Cumulative effects of water takes
  • Consent compliance and monitoring
  • Potential contaminated land,
  • Risks to biodiversity and biosecurity,
  • Property valuation
  • Forecasting future economic growth

The Vineyard interactive map is based off remote sensing so may not be entirely accurate. We welcome any corrections. Please email the Land Resources team at landresources@marlborough.govt.nz

Go to the Marlborough Vineyard Coverage map

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