Our Story

Te Kano is Māori for ‘The Seed’. Seeds we plant today will blossom for future generations.

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Kowhai cultivation

On the slopes above our Northburn vineyard grows an ancient Kōwhai tree. Survivor of droughts and fires, this gnarled and craggy ancestor bursts into beautiful golden flower each spring, providing food for the birds and other wildlife in the surrounding area.

This tree forms the basis of the Te Kano values. It also provides the inspiration for an ambitious project – to clear the Northburn site of invasive pests and regenerate the landscape using plants grown on site, including seed from this very tree.

Every year our team harvest and propagate 400 seeds from Old Man Kōwhai, nurturing the slow growing infants until they are ready to plant out across this special landscape. To date we have propagated over 5000 native plants on site, including 900 Kōwhai, and cleared over 50 hectares of invasive plant species.

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Cultural Conservation

Within Northburn’s rugged landscape are the cultural remnants of a painstaking, hardworking past. Hand stacked water races and sluice channels run for kilometres around steep ravines. Hidden amongst the rocks are the famous herringbone tailings unique to this part of Otago.

Significant value was placed on these remains during our original site development. The vineyard grew around them, the old mine workings scattered amongst the blocks of vines and now carefully fenced to protect these precious remnants of Central Otago history.

Walking and biking trails are planned for this area, an opportunity for visitors in the future to immerse themselves within the unique landscape of this special area.

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Historical appreciation

Central Otago has a rich history. A hard scrabble landscape, barren and severe with its freezing winters and baking summers, it was well travelled by Māori hunters and traders long before European settlement. Europeans arrived in the early 1800s and their numbers rapidly swelled with the discovery of gold in 1861. The influx of Chinese and European prospectors changed the face of the region forever. Enormous fortunes were won and lost. Such losses weren’t just financial either – the very landscape was hugely altered.

A slash and burn approach to agriculture dominated the next 100 years of Northburn’s existence, with scrub regularly lit to clear the way for new pasture and grazing land. The land was massively changed, but not irrevocably so.

Te Kano has started a new era for the Northburn site, to undo some of the harms done by previous occupants. Our goal is to leave a different sort of footprint, with a restorative and regenerative approach to agriculture and a focus on leaving the land better than we found it.

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Our story

Like most great tales, Te Kano is a love story.

Rhonda Lloyd is a Californian who fell in love with a New Zealander and, from there, fell in love with his country. During regular trips back here their mutual love of Central Otago’s wines grew into a passion. When the opportunity came to purchase outstanding vineyard land they didn’t hesitate.

There followed another love story – the discovery of the Northburn site and its breathtaking natural beauty. Their desire to bring life back to this damaged landscape, to restore the Kōwhai that once thrived there, inspired a move towards organic agriculture and a softer approach to farming.

Now they want to share their adoration for this land. It is why the seeds planted today will blossom for the generations to come. It is how the love story will continue, year after year.

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Te Kano People

Rhonda Lloyd

Owner and Marketing Director

A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Rhonda’s love of New Zealand began with her marriage to a New Zealander and an immersion into his culture. Both truly global citizens, they have lived, worked and travelled from London to New Zealand and everywhere in between.

Passionate about Central Otago’s wines and the environment, Rhonda’s vision has fuelled a unique vineyard and environmental restoration project at Northburn – her unwavering desire to leave a positive legacy for their two daughters and the generations to come.

Dave Sutton

Winemaker

After obtaining a Bachelors Degree in Viticulture and Winemaking Dave set out to explore the world of wine. Initially working as a viticulturist in Marlborough and South Australia he then joined winery harvests in the USA, Chile, Spain, Germany, France, Ukraine, Australia and around New Zealand.

A Central Otago vintage in 2010 opened his eyes to the potential in the region and he spent six years working with some of the best fruit in the area before joining Te Kano and the Lloyd family on their journey. His broad range of experiences have left him with an open mind and a soft touch, a desire to let the site express itself and allow the fruit to shine.

Nick Hunter

General Manager

Originally from Marlborough, wine has always been in his blood, now too it is an integral part of his identity. After studying Commerce and Horticulture at Lincoln University, he has worked in every level of the wine industry, from planting and developing vineyards for his family in Marlborough and Central Otago to managing large-scale operations across multiple regions.

Nick brings a love of wine, a passion for sustainability, and an enduring positive outlook to the team. His role as General Manager sees him directing and driving daily operations to achieve Te Kano's overarching vision and legacy.

Natalie Walsh

Head of Sales & Marketing

Natalie’s love of wine began in France where she spent 3 years when she was on her O.E (overseas experience). This ignited her passion for the industry, and upon returning to New Zealand, she started working for one our pioneering wine families out in West Auckland. Since then, she has worked for some of our most well-known brands in Sales & Marketing and educational roles, across the spectrum of New Zealand’s burgeoning wine regions, and the international markets.

Well versed in the factors that influence market conditions, she prides herself on building strong relationships with business partners, bringing exceptional strategic and brand building skills, helping to spread the compelling story of New Zealand wine, with a unique Kiwi twist. Natalie is passionate about growing the Te Kano brand on the global stage and building the prestige of the Central Otago wine region.

Coco Yu

Cellar Door Manager

A passionate wine enthusiast, Coco has dedicated herself to acquiring wine knowledge and sharing it with others since graduating from Lincoln University in 2017. Several harvests around New Zealand gave her a unique insight into the production of premium wines, and working in some of the countries best cellar doors in North Canterbury, Waiheke Island and Central Otago have rounded this out with a passion for sharing fantastic wine experiences with others.

Coco’s energy and charm mean that our guests arrive as customers and leave as friends.

Bevan Shaw

Assistant Vineyard Manager

Born and bred in Southland, Bevans family have been part of the Central Otago community since 1886.

After studying at Otago University, Bevan began his journey in food and wine with chef’s positions from Dunedin to London and back again. A summer vineyard job in Central Otago awakened a desire to learn more, and in 2013 he took the plunge into the wine industry fulltime.

An avid believer in organic and regenerative viticulture, Bevan brings passion and conviction to the team, and has made huge improvements to the calibre of the staff meals since joining Te Kano.

Mark Naismith

Estate Operations Manager

Mark has lived in Central Otago since 2002 where he started his viticultural journey, joining a pruning crew in the Gibbston Valley.

This turned into an opportunity to work across Central Otago sub-regions with a focus on development in Bendigo alongside seasonal growing demands in Bendigo, Bannockburn and Gibbston Valley. Alongside this work Mark had an opportunity to manage a small Gibbston Valley vineyard and work weekends at a newly opened cellar door at Lake Hayes.

In 2007 an OE beckoned commencing with a Vintage in Napa, California, including experience in Sonoma California. In 2009 Mark and his wife Michelle returned from their travels and Mark started work at a fully Bio-dynamic property in the Cromwell Basin.

In 2013 Mark joined Akarua as Vineyard Manager and led the vineyards through a large expansion to take the company’s vineyards to 130 ha’s across multiple sites in the Bannockburn and Pisa sub-regions.

In 2022 Mark joined Te Kano and brings a broad knowledge of Central Otago viticulture across multiple disciplines to the Te Kanos vineyards.

Bruna Baldez

Operations

Originally from the South of Brazil, Bruna’s love for life is infectious. Graduating with a Bachelors’ degree in Hospitality,
Brunas’ travels led her to Central Otago and a position at one of the regions premier luxury lodges.

Immersed in the world of fine wine service, and surrounded by the incredible natural beauty of the region, Bruna knew that a life in the Central Otago wine industry was inevitable, and this has been her home since 2004.

With a role that covers all areas of the business, Bruna is the glue that holds the Te Kano team together.

/ WINE CLUB

Join the Wine Club

Our wine club is the best way to embrace the Te Kano lifestyle, with exclusive invitations to private events hosted locally and around the country, and access to rare and unique wines at members-only prices.

Te Kano Wine Club