Our Story

Our story begins with a group of French Missionaries who sailed to New Zealand in 1838 with little more than their faith and a few vines.

Mission Estate was established by these Missionaries in Hawke’s Bay in 1851, where vines were planted to produce both sacramental and table wine and New Zealand’s first winery was born. The first record of a commercial sale dates back to 1870 when a parcel of mostly dry reds was sold.
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Our Story

Mission has never lost sight of its French heritage, as over the years Brothers of the Order have travelled to France to study and learn viticulture and winemaking skills.  Our current winemaker Paul Mooney has been at Mission for over 30 years, and was originally trained by the Fathers.

If visiting La Grande Maison of Mission Estate, as you progress down the driveway, there is still one row of Muscat grapes that have been grafted over the years from the very original stock bought to Hawke’s Bay by the Marist Fathers.

Timeline

Mission Estate Winery has a fascinating past, surviving everything from floods to earthquakes, cutting the building into 11 parts and transporting it to its current site in Taradale using traction engines, all the while planting and growing grapes in Hawke’s Bay. Check out some of the historical images below to follow our story.
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1838

Mission’s story begins with a group of French Missionaries. In 1838, with the blessing of the Pope, they sailed to New Zealand with little more than their faith, generations of wine making experience and a few precious vines.

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1851

In 1851 the Fathers established a mission station near the Ngaruroro River between Napier and Hastings at Pakowhai and there they followed the tradition of running a balanced farm property with fruit trees, cattle and a vineyard.  In 1858, the missionaries moved to land they had purchased at Meeanee and a major community was established.  A cottage for living quarters was transported from Pakowhai and later a Church, school and study halls were built.  Vines were planted to produce both sacramental and table wine to continue their wine-drinking tradition.

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1870

In 1870 Brother Cyprian Huchet, the humble son of a vigneron from the Loire Valley rose to the exalted position of Mission Estate Cellar Master and oversaw New Zealand’s first recorded commercial sale of wine.  Having grown up amongst the vineyards and wine cellars in France, Cyprian Huchet’s wine knowledge became extremely sophisticated, instilling a wealth of knowledge that lives on at Mission Estate today.

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1880

In 1880, a new two-storied house costing 2020 pounds and 10 shillings was built. It was known as La Grande Maison or the “big house” and became the home for the early French Marists for three decades.

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1897

In 1897 the 800-acre Mission Estate was purchased from the Tiffen family. The Marist brothers traveled each day from Meeanee to work the new land where a small orchard and some vines were planted. The first grapes were tended on the gently sloping land of the southern spur and the terraced area that is now used for the annual Mission Concert.

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1909

Following a disastrous flood, it was soon realised that the land where the house was located was subject to periodic flooding so in 1909 Father Smythe decided to move the Mission community to the present site.  The Mission building was cut into eleven sections and rolled on logs and pulled by traction engines. The journey, just under 5kms  took two days.

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1911

The 57 English Plane trees which still stand today in the driveway were planted in 1911. And in 1914 a new Gothic Chapel was erected and named Mount St Mary’s.

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1930

In 1930 a contract was let for the construction of a three-story concrete accommodation block. On 2nd February 1931, the students moved into the new building. The next morning 3rd February 1931 at 10.47am, an earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale struck Hawke’s Bay causing serious damage to the region and the entire Mission. Two priests and seven students who were meditating in the stone chapel were killed when it hit.

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2007

In 2007 the winery underwent a major expansion doubling grape pressing capacity to 2000 tonnes. The production facility has been designed to deliver maximum energy and water efficiencies – a vital element in our ongoing commitment to the environment.

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Today

Today, Mission Estate sources fruit from several sub regions, including its own well managed vineyards in Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough, blending old world artistry with the latest technology to produce an award-winning range of distinctly New Zealand wines.

Our People

Learn more about the people that make things happen at Mission Estate Winery.
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Peter Holley

Chief Executive

Peter Holley, immigrant from South Africa, has held the position of CEO of Mission Estate since 1996.  In this role he has had the opportunity of overseeing brand development and the restructuring of the Company into a formidable producer of fine wine.

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Paul Mooney

Winemaker

Paul Mooney has been the winemaker at Mission Estate for 40 years, making him one of the most experienced winemakers in New Zealand. Paul’s winemaking philosophies are heavily influenced by his mentor, Brother John, who trained in Bordeaux during the 60’s.

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Steve Wheeler

Viticulturist

Steve joined Mission in October 2013. Steve has significant experience in both viticulture and horticulture, holding a Master of Applied Science in Viticulture from Charles Sturt University in Australia and a Bachelor of Horticultural Science from Lincoln University. Steve is responsible for overseeing the company’s fruit supply.

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Tony Stanford

National Sales Manager

Tony has returned to re-join the Mission Estate Winery team having previously held the National Sales Manager role for 8 years. Tony is responsible for all sales throughout New Zealand and our world famous cellar door. Tony’s favourite wine is a Syrah produced from Mission’s premium Gimblett Gravels vineyard.

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Simon Swa

Export Manager

Simon holds a Bachelor of Sciences Honours – Economics (University of York, England), a WSET Diploma and a Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing. Simon worked in the UK in retail and on premise sales, marketing and brand management. His last position was with Maisons Marques & Domaines Ltd (UK) where he held the position of Marketing Manager. Simon and his family emigrated to New Zealand in August 2007 and he held the position of Export Director at Sacred Hill Wines. In August 2012 he took up the position of Head of Sales & Marketing Manager at Peregrine Wines.

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Jo Pearson

Marketing Manager

Jo has worked in wine since 2001, firstly as a viticulturist across Hawkes Bay and Marlborough vineyards, before moving into marketing and sales in 2008.  Since this time, Jo has delivered key strategic business development projects and brand development initiatives in New Zealand and Global markets.  Holding a Bachelor of Management Studies in Marketing from the University of Waikato, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Viticulture & Winemaking from Lincoln University, Jo has an excellent understanding of the whole wine industry and relishes the challenge of working with one of New Zealand’s most iconic wine brands.

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Fraser Hope

Financial Controller

Fraser is a Chartered Accountant, holding a Bachelor of Commerce and Arts from the University of Canterbury.  Having worked in variety of industries gaining experience in hospitality, insurance and engineering both in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, Fraser understands what is needed for a business to be successful and for it to serve its customers well.   Growing up on a Hawkes Bay orchard, Fraser returned to the Bay with his family in 2017.