New location for Hawke's Bay Wine Auction - Napier Conference Centre

Anabel Tapley Smith organiser, HB Wine Auction launch function at MRD office, Napier. Photo / Warren Buckland

The Hawke's Bay Wine Auction has announced it will be moving to a new location for its 27th annual event.

Project Manager Annabel Tapley-Smith said the auction will run out of the Napier Conference Centre for the 2018 event in November.

"The home of the Hawke's Bay Wine Auction has been in the heart of Hastings at the Hawke's Bay Opera House but due to earthquake strengthening work on the facility, it is unavailable for use this year."

About 60 of some of Hawke's Bay's leading business owners and winemakers gathered at the Hawke's Bay Wine Auctions first sponsor partnership function yesterday at web developers MRD Web Design's headquarters in Tennyson St.

Hastings District Council Group Manager of Community Facilities & Programmes Alison Banks said "the Hawke's Bay Wine Auction has been and continues to be a major fundraising event on the Hawke's Bay event calendar which has raised significant funds annually for Cranford Hospice".

"Held at the Hawke's Bay Opera House Plaza for the past three years, we have been proud that this iconic event has continued to be Hastings-based at this venue."

Napier Mayor Bill Dalton said, as a key sponsor of the Hawke's Bay Wine Auction, Napier City Council is delighted to provide the Napier Conference Centre as a venue for the 2018 event.

"We believe it's a great match. Hawke's Bay's premier conference and event venue will host one of New Zealand's leading wine events that showcases the best of our regions wines in a magnificent location overlooking the Pacific."

Hawke's Bay Wine Auction Event Manager Elisha Milmine added that they are "very grateful to Napier City Council, one of our 'platinum partners' for kindly offering the recently refurbished venue."

The Hawke's Bay Wine Auction is run annually and has firmly secured the position of New Zealand's premier wine event for the uniqueness of the wine offerings. Over the last four years the event has also contributed a total of $622,000.00 to Cranford Hospice.

Forty of Hawke's Bay's most talented winegrowers have committed their talents to producing yet again, some outstanding, mostly unique blends, for the auction.

Ms Milmine said "this vintage is shaping up to be on target, coupled with our talented winegrowers auction lot offerings the 2018 auction will make for a very exciting event profiling Hawke's Bay wines and raising hopefully another record amount for Cranford Hospice."

Event tickets will go on sale in July and absentee bidding is also available. To follow updates sign up at www.hawkesbaywineauction.co.nz or 'like' Hawke's Bay Wine Auction's Facebook page.