What Te Motu Vineyard does

Te Motu Vineyard is a family-owned winery and hospitality estate on Waiheke Island, Auckland, New Zealand, operating as Waiheke Vineyards Limited since its 1988 incorporation and 1989 founding by the Dunleavy family. The estate produces premium Bordeaux-style red wines on a 30-acre Onetangi Valley vineyard using traditional, low-intervention methods: hand-harvested fruit from low-yielding vines, French oak barrel aging for 12-24 months, and minimum 3-year bottle aging before release. The portfolio spans the flagship Te Motu Cabernet-dominant blend (~$170-480 NZD per bottle, with library releases up to $1,950 NZD), the Merlot-dominant Kokoro, ultra-premium single-varietal Kuikui Syrah and Tipua wines (limited to 300-600 bottles each), and the more accessible Dunleavy Range fruit-driven tier ($39-120 NZD).

The business operates a vertically integrated estate model combining wine production with The Shed restaurant (an award-winning seasonal kitchen using a 685sqm on-site garden), a 7-day cellar door offering vertical and library tastings, wedding and private event venue hire (minimum spends $20,000-35,000 NZD), and a VIP Wine Club ($1,020 NZD) plus VIP Events Club. Distribution is multi-channel: direct-to-consumer via e-commerce and cellar door, fine wine retail partnerships domestically (Great Little Vineyards, Waiheke Wine Centre, The Winery), exclusive distribution in Japan via Livinus, and international DTC shipping via Wine Direct Collective. Secondary customer segments include fine dining restaurants and boutique lodges seeking distinctive wine list placements.

The company's commercial model is capacity-constrained by design, with the flagship Te Motu blend capped at approximately 4,500 bottles per vintage, and value is derived from scarcity, aging potential (20+ years for flagship vintages), and on-site tourism experiences rather than volume. Customer demand is split across wine enthusiasts and collectors, food and wine tourists to Waiheke Island, wedding and event hosts, fine wine retailers, and hospitality partners. With 8 employees, the operation is run leanly, with second-generation leadership under Managing Director Rory Dunleavy and winemaker Matt Dixon overseeing daily operations.

Name

Te Motu Vineyard

Legal name

Waiheke Vineyards Limited

Website

https://temotu.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Te Motu Vineyard is a family-owned Waiheke Island winery producing premium Bordeaux-style red wines from a 30-acre estate, complemented by The Shed restaurant, cellar door tastings, wedding venue hire, and a VIP Wine Club, sold via direct-to-consumer, fine wine retail, and international distribution partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Premium Winery

NAICS

Wineries (312130), Grape Vineyards (111332), Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (424820)

SIC

Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)

akta.pro primary industry

Wine Production & Winemaking (AFAFAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Vineyard Establishment & Development (Site Prep, Trellising, Planting) (AFAGAJAA), Wineries & Vineyards (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAE), Wine & Sparkling Wine Wineries & Brands (CRADAIAB), Luxury Farmhouses, Country Houses & Vineyard Estates (THAMAEAG)

Keywords

• Premium red wine
• Bordeaux-style blends
• Family-owned winery
• Wine tourism
• Vineyard estate

Headquarters

HQ city

Waiheke Island

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct Wine Sales: Direct-to-consumer wine sales through e-commerce website and cellar door, including current releases, library wines, and special vertical packs.
2. Restaurant Dining: The Shed restaurant serves seasonal, locally-sourced dishes designed to pair with Te Motu wines. Open for lunch Wednesday-Sunday with dinner service on weekends during summer.
3. Wine Club Membership: Te Motu VIP Wine Club offers exclusive wine allocations, events, and member pricing benefits.
4. Wedding and Event Hire: Wedding venue hire and private events at the vineyard estate, with tailored packages starting from approximately $5,500.
5. Wine Distribution: Distribution through fine wine retailers in New Zealand and international markets via Wine Direct Collective.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Te Motu Vineyard is a family-owned winery on Waiheke Island, New Zealand, producing premium Bordeaux-style red wines (Cabernet Sauvignon dominant blends, Merlot, Syrah) using estate-grown fruit from low-yielding vines with extended French oak and bottle aging. Beyond wine, the estate operates an award-winning on-site restaurant (The Shed), a cellar door for wine tastings including vertical and library pours, a VIP Wine Club, and a wedding and events venue with full estate privatisation.

Product overview

Te Motu Vineyard is a family-owned Waiheke Island winery producing premium Bordeaux-style red wines. The portfolio comprises the flagship Te Motu range (Cabernet Sauvignon dominant blends aged 18-24 months in French oak, released 5+ years post-vintage), the more accessible Kokoro range (Merlot dominant, forward-style), ultra-premium single-varietal wines under the Kuikui (Syrah) and Tipua (Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec) labels, and the Dunleavy Range (fruit-driven everyday wines). Beyond wine sales, the business operates The Shed restaurant (award-winning vineyard dining), a Cellar Door tasting experience, a VIP Wine Club membership, VIP Events Club, wedding venue hire, and vertical tasting experiences. Founded in 1989, it is Waiheke Island's oldest winery still run by its founding family.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dunleavy Range: Fruit-driven wines including world-class Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Rose. Made in a forward style to be enjoyed in youth.
• Te Motu Range
• Library Wines
• Member Release

Products and services

• Te Motu Flagship Range The flagship wine of the estate: a Cabernet Sauvignon dominant blend with Merlot and Cabernet Franc, hand-harvested from low-yielding vines. Known for extended ageing potential, typically released 5+ years after vintage with firm yet supple tannins and cellaring potential of 20+ years.
• Kokoro A Merlot dominant blend with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Syrah, named for founding family patriarch Terry Dunleavy. Made in a more forward style to accentuate fruit ripeness and texture, suitable for immediate enjoyment but with pedigree to improve for years.
• Kuikui Syrah Ultra-premium 100% Syrah named in dedication to Margaret Dunleavy (the matriarch). Hand-harvested from low-yielding vines with obsessive fruit sorting. Only 600 standard bottles produced per release, with occasional magnum releases.
• Tipua Single-varietal wines made only in exceptional vintages when one variety shines. Includes Tipua Cabernet Sauvignon (100% from 30-year-old vines, only 300 bottles) and Tipua Malbec (single barrel, only 300 bottles).
• Dunleavy Range A collection of wines including world-class Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Rosé. Made in a fruit-driven style designed for immediate enjoyment but improving with careful cellaring. Aged in barrels for ten months. Family heritage wines from vines planted when the Dunleavy children were barely walking.
• Te Motu VIP Wine Club A membership club offering exclusive access to wines, events, and preferential pricing. Members receive discounted pricing on Founder's Tasting experiences ($99 vs $145 per guest). Priced at $1,020 NZD.
• Te Motu VIP Events Club An events membership offering exclusive access to special events, dinners, and experiences at the vineyard.
• The Shed Restaurant An award-winning rustic, seasonal restaurant nestled among the vines, serving fresh locally sourced dishes designed to complement Te Motu wines. Features a 685sqm kitchen garden grown exclusively for the restaurant. Open for lunch Wednesday-Sunday, with dinner service on Friday and Saturday evenings during late spring through summer.
• Cellar Door Tastings Wine tasting experience offering the opportunity to sample aged Waiheke Island wines including library vintages. Offers classic tasting flight of 4 current release wines, vertical tasting flight comparing 3 vintages of flagship Te Motu, and older vintages by the glass. Open 7 days a week, 12pm-5pm.
• Wedding and Event Venue Hire Wedding and event venue hire at the vineyard. Offers full estate privatisation, partial privatisation, Cellar Door Courtyard, and The Cellar Door indoor spaces. Capacity up to 90 guests for seated dining or up to 100 for cocktail-style functions. Full Estate Privatisation venue hire from $5,000 NZD.
• Wine Gift Cards Gift cards available in denominations of $100, $150, $250, $500, and $1000 NZD for cellar door experiences or vineyard visits.

Quantifiable outcome

• Te Motu 1996 awarded Gold at 1999 International Wine Challenge in London
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Great Little VineyardscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNew Zealand distribution partner for Te Motu wines. Located at Orakei Bay Village, Auckland. Handles both retail sales and trade/restaurant distribution.
• LivinuscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive distribution partner for Te Motu wines in Japan. Based in Tsuruoka, Yamagata, Japan. Contact: Yuto Takezawa.
• Wine Direct CollectivecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational shipping partner enabling direct-to-consumer orders to customers outside New Zealand from the Wine Collective Direct platform.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Felton Road: Felton Road is an ultra-premium Central Otago Pinot Noir producer with strong international fine wine reputation and biodynamic credentials. Comparable as a small-volume New Zealand estate pursuing collector pricing and global fine wine recognition, though varietal differs.
• Man O' War Vineyards: Man O' War is a major Waiheke Island producer with a broad premium portfolio across multiple varietals. Comparable as a Waiheke-based premium winery targeting wine tourists, fine dining restaurants, and international collectors via DTC and export channels.
• Trinity Hill: Trinity Hill produces premium Bordeaux-style blends from Hawke's Bay, with international fine wine recognition. Comparable as a New Zealand producer focused on Cabernet/Merlot-dominant blends competing in the same ultra-premium export markets.
• Cable Bay Vineyards: Cable Bay is a Waiheke Island winery combining cellar door, restaurant, and event venue operations with premium varietal wines. Comparable as a multi-revenue-stream Waiheke competitor targeting the same wine tourist demographic.
• Esk Valley: Esk Valley produces premium Hawke's Bay Bordeaux blends including the well-known 'Terraces' wine. Comparable as a New Zealand winery focused on age-worthy Cabernet/Merlot blends competing in fine wine and restaurant channels.
• Stonyridge Vineyard: Stonyridge is Te Motu's direct neighbor on Waiheke Island, also producing ultra-premium Cabernet-dominant Bordeaux blends from Onetangi Valley. Both estates were established in the late 1980s on adjacent parcels and compete for the same collector and wine tourist customers.
• Destiny Bay Vineyards: Destiny Bay is a Waiheke Island winery focused on ultra-premium Bordeaux-style red blends with similar cellar door and fine dining positioning. Comparable for its Cabernet/Merlot dominant blends and pursuit of international fine wine recognition.
• Mudbrick Vineyard: Mudbrick is a Waiheke Island winery operating a cellar door, restaurant, and wedding venue business model that closely mirrors Te Motu's The Shed and estate privatization offering. Direct competitor for wine tourism and event revenue on the same island.

Broad incumbents

• Cloudy Bay: Cloudy Bay is an iconic Marlborough producer owned by LVMH, representing the broader New Zealand premium wine category globally. Comparable for its premium positioning and DTC/restaurant/hospitality presence, but at vastly greater scale and brand recognition.
• Craggy Range: Craggy Range is one of New Zealand's most recognized premium wineries (Hawke's Bay and Martinborough) with a broader portfolio including Bordeaux-style reds. Comparable as a NZ premium red producer but at significantly larger scale and broader distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TeMotu
• Instagraminstagram.com/te_motu_waiheke
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/te-motu-vineyard

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Te Motu Vineyard