Hawke’s Bay Wine Auction raises record amount for Cranford Hospice

The Hawke’s Bay Wine Auction has raised a record $454,182 for Cranford Hospice – more than $84,000 above the record set just a year ago.

Saturday’s auction at Toitoi – Hawke’s Bay Arts & Events Centre surpassed the previous high of $370,000, set in 2025.

Hawke’s Bay Wine Auction General Manager Sam Kershaw said the result exceeded anything organisers had imagined.

“To go from a record $370,000 last year to more than $454,000 this year is just extraordinary. There was an incredible level of generosity in the room – people came ready to get behind Cranford Hospice, and they did that in a way that exceeded anything we could have imagined.”

More than 40 Hawke’s Bay winemakers contributed to the auction, with many producing wines specifically for the event and unavailable through normal retail channels.

Among the standout results was $21,000 for a full barrique of de la terre’s Chablis-style Chardonnay.

The wine was one of three produced through a Chardonnay collaboration which began with No.287 Vineyard donating more than three tonnes of premium Chardonnay fruit.

This was followed by more than 180 hours of volunteer hand-picking coordinated by Greatvine Services. The fruit was then shared between de la terre, Radburnd Cellars and Chris Scott Wines, with each winemaker producing their own full-barrique auction lot from the same vineyard fruit.

Together, the three Chardonnay Collaboration lots raised almost $50,000.

One of the day’s most striking results came from a much smaller quantity of wine, with just 30 litres of Askerne Estate Winery’s 2025 Gewürztraminer selling for $20,000.

Six magnums of Collaboration Wines’ 2025 Cabernet Franc fetched another $11,000.

Art also contributed significantly to the final total, with works donated by Napier artist Glen Colechin collectively raising $22,000.

They included his feature copper sculpture Perpetual Harvest and additional handcrafted copper leaves.

Kershaw said the result belonged to the wider Hawke’s Bay community.

“This result belongs to an entire community. It belongs to the winemakers who put forward an exceptional line-up of the Bay’s very best wines, many of them crafting something specifically for this auction.

“It belongs to our sponsors, volunteers and everyone who works behind the scenes. And it belongs to every person who put their hand up to bid or made a private donation.”

The auction also acknowledged Peter Cowley, who is stepping down from its organising committee after 35 years of involvement.

Cowley joined the committee in 1991 and will retire as a trustee of the Hawke’s Bay Wine Auction Charitable Trust in 2027.

“To see the auction reach $454,182 is something I could never have imagined when I first became involved in 1991. I feel enormously proud of everyone who has played a part in getting us here,” Cowley said.

The Hawke’s Bay Wine Auction is Cranford Hospice’s largest annual private fundraiser, bringing together the region’s wine industry, businesses, artists, volunteers and supporters to raise money for specialist palliative care in Hawke’s Bay.