Electric Executive · Hawke's BayPress & Awards
Recognition, publications, and speaking engagements across the global wine tourism community.
Best of Wine Tourism
Award of Excellence
Category: Sustainable Wine Tourism Practices
The Best of Wine Tourism awards are presented by the Great Wine Capitals Global Network — a network of eleven of the world's foremost wine regions including Bordeaux, Napa Valley, Tuscany, and Hawke's Bay. The Sustainable Wine Tourism Practices category recognises businesses that embed genuine environmental, social, and economic sustainability throughout their visitor experience and actively share those values with guests.
"Their commitment to caring for the land through sustainable business practices, and their genuine love for connecting like-minded people in the region with visitors wanting to experience both people and place is infectious."
— Anna Nielson, Best of Wine Tourism JudgeFrom school teacher to Hawke's Bay tourism operator
"My background before school teaching was in wine science. I've always had a passion for primary produce, for wine, for that taste experience. Then my real second passion is connecting with people and working to share knowledge. The natural progression of those two is to bring that together into a sort of high-end tourism slash wine focus."
— Duncan Darroch, NBR"I wanted sustainability to be more than just a tagline, or an add-on."
— Duncan Darroch, NBR"For a lot of Kiwis, sustainability is a sort of an afterthought, maybe a nice-to-have but, within the corporate space, there's a lot of drive towards that. So, boards and other governance bodies are looking to actually have KPIs or ways that they can measure their sustainable outputs. When I'm working business to business, I can really leverage that angle."
— Duncan Darroch, NBRGreen Wine Tourism in Practice:
A Hawke's Bay Case Study
Electric Executive featured in Vinexposium's global industry publication as an example of how sustainability principles translate into tangible, high-quality wine tourism experiences.
"In Hawke's Bay, green wine tourism is how we bring the Māori values of kaitiakitanga ('guardianship') and manaakitanga ('hospitality') to life. We translate these principles into an electric-first touring experience showcasing the Great Wine Capital, using a fleet powered by New Zealand's electricity grid, which is more than 90% renewable."
— Duncan Darroch, Vinexposium Voice #6"We see ourselves as pioneers of sustainable transport within the region. By offering a working proof of concept, we help demonstrate what is possible and provide leadership to the wider industry. We are not simply moving visitors; we are contributing to the long-term positioning of Hawke's Bay as a world-class, sustainability-focused wine destination within the Great Wine Capitals network."
— Duncan Darroch, Vinexposium Voice #6"For many guests, this is their first experience in a high-end electric vehicle. It allows us to demonstrate that a fossil-fuel-free future does not require any compromise in comfort or quality."
— Duncan Darroch, Vinexposium Voice #6Keynote Speaker
Duncan will present a grounded case study in turning sustainability into a business strategy rather than a tagline — proving that premium hospitality and environmental responsibility are not mutually exclusive. The session addresses the conference's central theme: Sustainability as a Social Contract, moving beyond aspirational messaging toward strategy that builds trust, delivers community benefit, and unlocks international markets.
The Great Wine Capitals Global Network connects eleven of the world's leading wine regions — Bordeaux, Napa Valley, Tuscany, Cape Town, Mendoza, Porto, Mainz-Rheinhessen, Bilbao-Rioja, Lausanne, Adelaide, and Hawke's Bay. Electric Executive is a 2026 Award of Excellence winner within this network.
greatwinecapitals.com