Marlborough, well-known as New Zealand's premier wine region, also supports a wide range of other key industries that together underpin a vibrant, progressive and robust economy.

Famous for its sauvignon blanc, Marlborough is the largest wine producing region in the country, a fact reflected in its vast stretches of vineyards dotted with picturesque wineries. New Zealand Winegrowers' vintage statistics for 2019 show that the region accounts for 77% of New Zealand's total wine production. 

Traditionally a pastoral farming district, over the last half century much of Marlborough's productive land has been transformed into vineyards, taking advantage of the region's ideal climate and soil types. At the same time, the region continues to produce high quality beef, sheep and lamb products.

Recent data shows that Marlborough's primary industries of agriculture, forestry and fisheries - including wild shellfish and crayfish - continue to contribute over 10% to the regions GDP each year. 

The largest contributor to Marlborough's GDP is manufacturing, which includes winemaking (as distinct from grape cultivation) as well as some aspects of the region's thriving aquaculture industry. In this sector, Marlborough is responsible for approximately 60% of total New Zealand production of both Greenshell™ Mussels and Pacific King Salmon. 

Also included in the manufacturing sector is Marlborough's aviation industry, based around the Marlborough Airport and the RNZAF Air Force base at Woodbourne.

Apart from grape cultivation and winemaking, Marlborough's vineyards and winery cellar doors form part of a thriving tourism industry, attracting visitors from across the globe to sample New Zealand's finest wine and foods. What's more, the paradise of winding waterways and lush native bush that make up the Marlborough Sounds are home to a range of tourism operators, servicing walking, cycling and ocean-based tourists, both local and international.

The Sounds are also home to a large percentage of Marlborough's forestry resources. The bulk of the region's forestry production is exported, with Port Marlborough being one of the South Island's major export ports.

All these industries are supported by a variety of small and large businesses, professional service providers, retailers, social and healthcare services, construction, trades, education (including teritary education) and many more key industries that together form Marlborough's successful and varied economy.  

Smart Business Marlborough provides a central hub to facilitate business growth and international partnerships, and increase economic activity in Marlborough.

Marlborough Smart+Connected is an innovative economic and community development approach, employing volunteer effort in local communities and industries in collaboration with the activities of the Marlborough District Council, to lead Marlborough into the future.

The Marlborough Chamber of Commerce has over 350 members and provides a range of programmes and initiatives for businesses, as well as networking opportunities throughout the year.

Business Trust Marlborough offers free, confidential advice and information for any type of existing business, or business idea.

Business Trust Marlborough is also associated with Angel Investors Marlborough, a group of locally based seasoned investors, business people and entrepreneurs.

The Blenheim Business Association (BBA) has a shared vision of creating a central business district which beats as the heart of the region and acts as a hub for Marlborough’s thriving industries, events and recreational activities.

Marlborough’s main industries are represented by active industry bodies that represent the collective interest of their diverse memberships.

Our industry bodies are led by people who know their business, their product, and Marlborough.

Through the sharing of ideas and information, advocacy to government on key issues and organising of world-class events, our industry bodies advance not only their respective sectors, but also Marlborough as a whole.

• Marine Farming Association  
• Marlborough Forestry Industry Association 
• Wine Marlborough 
• Federated Farmers Marlborough 

Marlborough is very well-connected with many national-level industry bodies. These connections open doors to new and exciting opportunities, ensures specific business interests are highlighted and seek to engage those who can drive ongoing growth and innovation for our region.

• NZ Winegrowers 
• Aquaculture NZ 
• Economic Development New Zealand

There are always opportunities for investment in cultivation – generally, vineyard block and lifestyle properties in the region’s Southern Valleys will be on sale at any point.

Marlborough’s wine technology sector is considered to be one of the most advanced in the world, and major opportunities exist for investment in and export of home-grown wine tech. Local grape growing and winemaking operations are constantly on the lookout for technologies and innovations that improve efficiency, increase automation and reduce their reliance on scarce resources such as labour and water.

Marlborough is home to some of New Zealand’s best purpose-built accommodation for seasonal and short-term contract employees, such as those participating in the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) Scheme. As vineyard acreage increases and new plantings come into production, the demand for such purpose-built accommodation is sure to increase.

Major innovation and investment opportunities also exist in various aspects of waste management and mitigation related to the wine industry. Identified opportunities include grape marc (residue from grape processing), vineyard posts and irrigation piping.

The planned expansion of salmon farming into the open ocean in the Cook Straits and other locations, will provide major opportunities for investment in new farms, new technologies and new skills.

Equally, there are significant opportunities for innovation and technology development in real-time monitoring of marine farms, data transfer and internet-of-things applications within the aquaculture sector.

As the industry develops, the demand for support services will grow accordingly – marine engineering, specialised manufacturing and a range of servicing activities all present opportunities for investment.

Similar to the wine industry, high levels of opportunity exist for innovation and investment in waste management and the processing of industry waste streams – an example of a successful innovation in this area is blue mussel processing.

Finally, opportunities exist for diversification of the product mix in the aquaculture industry in the Marlborough Sounds – these might include seaweed farming and bottom dwelling species such as sea cucumbers.

While Marlborough’s forestry sector is relatively small compared to some other regions in New Zealand, the unique terrain in which the industry operates, particularly in the Marlborough Sounds, presents opportunities for innovation in harvesting and transportation techniques, and in mitigation strategies to avoid environmental impacts arising from harvesting activities. 

With much of the region’s forestry production being exported as complete logs, major opportunities exist for downstream processing of forestry products for both domestic and export markets, and for complementary industries such as forestry waste-to-energy conversion. 

As Marlborough’s visitor economy develops, for example through increases in cruise ship, food and wine tourism, and biking and walking activities, opportunities will continue to develop for investment in businesses that service these markets.

Opportunities also exist for consolidation in the visitor economy sector, with some large operators having made significant acquisitions of properties, brands and service providers over the past several years.

Increasingly, Marlborough is becoming a destination of choice for high-value overseas tour groups. This trend will in the future provide opportunities for investment in new attractions and high-end facilities and experiences.

Marlborough’s success in attracting events and conferences means that opportunities in the hotel and/or high-capacity accommodation segment will become increasingly attractive to potential investors.

Rebuilding activities after the Kaikoura earthquake in November 2016 took up much of the civil construction capacity in Marlborough. Looking forward, a number of major infrastructure upgrades are planned or already in progress, meaning that opportunities will continue to exist for civil construction, and for civil engineering and related services.

Like much of New Zealand, Marlborough has a relatively aged housing stock and a shortage of residential accommodation. Marlborough District Council has zoned a large amount of land for future residential development, but the speed of construction remains limited by a lack of capacity. This translates into significant opportunities for construction services and related skills development. 

Major investments are planned in transport infrastructure, including the upgrading of Picton port to accommodate larger ferries and cruise ships. 

In addition, KiwiRail will over the next several years continue to upgrade their rail network and road/rail exchange infrastructure in Picton and Spring Creek, outside Blenheim.

Investment will continue to be directed into upgrading telecommunications infrastructure in the Marlborough Sounds and the outlying rural areas of Marlborough.

All these (mainly public sector) investments are sure to create significant opportunities for private investment in associated industries.

The projected growth in the aged segment of Marlborough’s population, from a current level of 23% of the population being over 65, to around 34% in 2034, means that opportunities exist for investment in a range of aged care facilities and services.

These opportunities might include greenfields developments of new aged care facilities or redevelopment of existing facilities, as well as the provision of specialist aged care services and equipment.

This industrial estate and business park is conveniently located in Riverlands, only five minutes south of central Blenheim. The area is home to businesses of all sizes and types, many interconnected, including manufacturing operations, major wine bottling facilities, maintenance service providers and transport operators. 

Marlborough’s central location and proximity to other major centres is just one of the reasons why many companies choose to base their operations here. 

The region is well-connected by air, road, rail and sea, with all links easily accessed from Marlborough’s towns and settlements. Combined with great local infrastructure and lifestyle options, this makes Marlborough the perfect region for diverse business investments.

 

Port Marlborough

Port Marlborough is a deep water port with a 200m wharf at Shakespeare Bay in Waitohi/Picton. This facility, one of the busiest in New Zealand, handles bulk cargo, particularly logs, and is also visited by large cruise ships. With roll-on rail capability, the port is a key part of New Zealand’s inter-island rail network.

Cook Strait ferries 

Marlborough is served by two main ferry companies, Interislander and Bluebridge which take passengers and freight on the 3.5 hour journey across Cook Strait between Picton and Wellington several times each day. Marlborough’s rail link with Wellington will be further strengthened from 2024, with KiwiRail planning to introduce two new rail-enabled ferries.

Marlborough is strategically placed on KiwiRail’s main trunkline between Picton/Waitohi, Kaikōura and Christchurch. A number of freight companies have taken advantage of this excellent position by basing distribution depots here. This proves particulary useful for many of Marlborough's major export industries, including wine and seafood.

Marlborough has a choice of daily flights to several New Zealand centres, making attending a meeting in Wellington in the morning and returning to your desk in Marlborough by the afternoon a real possibility.

Air New Zealand flies into and out of Marlborough Airport directly from Wellington and Auckland. Sounds Air flies from both Marlborough and Picton Airports to Christchurch, Wellington, Taupo, Paraparaumu, Nelson and Westport.

 

Blenheim is located on State Highway 1, which begins in Picton/Waitohi and passes through all Marlborough’s east coast towns and Kaikōura before leading to Christchurch.

State Highway 6 heads west from Blenheim and goes through Renwick and Havelock to Nelson. The West Coast is accessible via State Highways 63, via scenic St Arnaud.

For more information on distance and travel times on the road, look here

 

Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment
Pip Jamieson
Senior Regional Advisor, Top of the South
MBIE Provincial Development Unit
pip.jamieson@mbie.govt.nz
+64 27 231 0028

Ministry for Primary Industries
Nick Dalgety
Senior Advisor, Top of the South
nick.dalgety@mpi.govt.nz
+64 21 679 380

Ministry of Social Development
Craig Churchill
Regional Commissioner - Nelson, Marlborough, Tasman & West Coast
Craig.Churchill001@msd.govt.nz
+64 29 201 4415