DB’s commitment to Brewing a Better Aotearoa recognises the need to care for the environment.

The top of the South Island is a key region for growing hops and apples – two essential ingredients in our products.

In 2025, we partnered with Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Alliance and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to help achieve their ambitious vision of restoring the depleted lowlands in the Tasman District to at least 15% native vegetation cover.

“Lowland sites in the district present great opportunities for restoring native forests and wetlands, which support native species both on the land and in freshwater systems,” says Hudson Dodd, TNC’s Restoring Lowlands Programme Manager.

“By restoring waterways with native plants and trees, we are protecting native fish habitat and improving water quality, in addition to supporting native birds and other terrestrial species that call these areas home.”

In 2025, DB funded 7,000 native plants for the programme, which represent the equivalent of at least 1.6 hectares of newly restored land.

DB will contribute to further planting in 2026 as more horticulture landowners are being brought into the scheme.

Through our partnership, our Redwood Cidery team was also able to help restore some of the native tree plantings that were damaged in the 2025 Tasman floods. The team spent the day at Motueka Valley’s Hinetai Hops, one of the region’s growers whose hops may end up in our beer.

It was a rewarding day out for the team working along the banks of a natural spring that feeds into the Motueka River, and we are grateful to have been able to help in a small way.

At DB, we are proud of the work we do to care for people and planet, and this partnership demonstrates this value in action.