Whitehaven Wines have always had a special connection to the ocean. In the 1990s, Greg and Sue White left their corporate jobs to sail around the pacific on a 48ft yacht. Their daughter Samantha would spend the first six months of her life onboard.
Sheltering from hurricane season, Greg, Sue and Samantha ended up in the beautiful waters of the Marlborough Sounds. They loved the region, and the couple decided that starting a Marlborough winery was the sort of project that could convince them to return to land.
In 1994 they established Whitehaven – memorialising the calm port ‘haven’ they’d found while anchoring in Marlborough. Over the next twenty years, the White family grew their business into the well-known brand today by an uncompromising focus on quality and looking after the land for future generations.
When their daughter Samantha fell in love with her husband Josh, a marine biologist with a passion for ocean sustainability, Whitehaven was introduced to LegaSea.
LegaSea is a non-profit organisation that works tirelessly to protect and restore New Zealand’s coastal fisheries. Their ethos of protecting the ocean for future generations spoke directly to the White family philosophy and aligned with the company’s foundations of sustainability.
This year, the idea for relaunching the Kōparepare range was created. Kōparepare means gift or contribution, and $1 from every bottle sold will be donated to LegaSea. Through their partnership, Whitehaven can play a role in helping to restore oceans and marine environments, for the enjoyment of communities and future generations.
With a passion for New Zealand’s marine environment, Samantha has taken on the important role of ambassador to the Kōparepare range. A staunch advocate for sustainability, Samantha’s will become the face and voice of the Kōparepare brand.
Samantha says, "The protection and restoration of our oceans is not only a global concern but it is an issue that is deeply personal to me and something I feel passionate about. We are all responsible for change, and Kōparepare is a way for Whitehaven to invite wine consumers to be a part of the community that will action that change."
This is our way to work together to protect, preserve and restore our oceans for the enjoyment of our families, our communities and future generations.
Whitehaven is kicking off Kōparepare relaunch by donating 100% of the revenue from the first 125 cases sold online to LegaSea. After that, the range will continue to fund the work of LegaSea by donating $1 from every bottle of Kōparepare sold.
