“Peter Yealands was a Marlborough-born innovator who helped establish our now significant aquaculture industry through his ‘number 8 wire’ approach, and also made a major contribution to the expansion of the region’s iconic wine industry.
Peter quickly became legendary in the early days of the green-shelled mussel industry for his innovative ideas, which often came straight out of his garage - for example a machine that made plastic floats.
He developed his first vineyard at age 50 in Grovetown in 1998 and then the Northbank area in 2000, seeing their potential for vineyards. He founded Yealands Wine Group in 2008 after buying land in the Awatere and establishing New Zealand’s largest privately owned vineyard - Yealands Estate in Seaview – a sub-region that was also new to grapes.
Amongst many other business activities over the years, he spent much of the 1990s breeding and farming deer. In 2006 he also got the green light for a development in Pelorus Sound, creating the Kaiumu Bay subdivision.
I send my condolences to Peter’s family and friends. Peter was a bold innovator and entrepreneur. He pushed the boundaries, sometimes to their limits, sometimes beyond, but his passion for Marlborough and the vast potential of our viticulture and aquaculture industries was clear to see.”
