New Zealand wine industry pioneer Kim Goldwater has died after a tractor accident on his Waiheke Island property.
Goldwater, 85, died after the tractor he was driving crashed down a bank, the New Zealand Herald reported.
Goldwater Estate is one of the oldest wineries in New Zealand, established by the Goldwater family on Waiheke Island, near Auckland, in 1978. It produces mainly Bordeaux-style red wines.
Kim Goldwater and his late wife Jeanette (pictured above), developed what was the island's first commercial vineyard. It is now a winemaking hotspot and popular tourist destination. The business is now owned by Foley Wines.
Goldwater's son, Michael Goldwater, told the Herald that the tragedy was a mystery.
"It is not the steepest hill in the world but you wouldn't want to be 85 years old, going down there on a tractor, backwards, with a mower connected to it," he said.
Police and the Westpac Rescue Helicopter were called to the site of the accident. A police spokesperson confirmed the tragedy had been referred to the coroner.
The couple bought the Waiheke land for $30,000 in 1978 and it went on to become Goldwater Estate. Jeanette Goldwater died 2020.
Goldwater Estate wines were exported to 27 countries around the world.
Goldwater Estate wines were exported to 27 countries around the world.
Image: Waiheke Gulf News
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