Tuatara brewery: Behind the move
DB Breweries and Kā piti council respond
Tuatara brewery has shed some light on its decision to relocate its base from Paraparaumu to Upper Hutt’s Brewtown. A DB Breweries spokesperson said the current Tuatara site in Sheffield St, Paraparaumu, had “several constraints”.
One of those was that the site was “at its capacity from a wastewater discharge and safety perspective”.
“This meant any potential growth would have been constrained, making the site no longer fit for purpose.”
Kāpiti Mayor Janet Holborow said council staff had been working with DB on a solution that would deliver staged improvements for managing wastewater.
“We had a plan that would enable both environmental and business outcomes to be met, and had hoped we could work together to deliver that plan.”
Deputy Mayor Lawrence Kirby noted wastewater discharge regulations were set by central government.
“The regulations are different for river and sea discharge. Council has no ability to change or adjust that. We discharge to river and Brewtown discharges to sea.”
Holborow said the council understood there was “never just one reason for these sorts of business decisions”.
“We’re sad to be saying goodbye but recognise that businesses need to make tough decisions.
“It’s also fair to say Brewtown presents an attractive opportunity for DB and Tuatara to invest in a new, purpose-built facility, alongside other craft brewers and hospitality and events businesses.”
The DB spokesperson said other factors included “some safety concerns as well as seeking an improved footprint that enabled us to design and build the production and packaging capabilities we require for the future”.
In the March edition of the Pursuit of Hoppiness magazine, it said the “current Tuatara kit is way past its best-by date”.
Tuatara head brewer Paul Roigard, who was the subject of a profile article, said: “Carl Vasta [Tuatara’s founder] built this brewery out of bits and pieces he could afford and find. Along the way, he made some cracking beers but the current brewery has been ready for retirement for a while.”
Vasta started Tuatara in 2000 on his rural property in Reikorangi, before moving it in 2012 to commercial premises in Sheffield St, which were opened by then prime minister John Key. In 2017, Tuatara was sold to DB Breweries (part of Heineken Asia Pacific).
The spokesperson said the company looked at several new sites in the Wellington region.
“The Brewtown site in Upper Hutt was the best fit for our requirements, enabling us to design and build a brewery from the start to be efficient, safe and sustainable.
“It also had the added benefit of being part of an existing vibrant craft beer and distilling community, still within easy reach of Wellington central.
“We’re sorry to be leaving the Kā piti Coast, which has been an important part of Tuatara’s history, but thrilled to be staying in the region and look forward to continuing to work closely with both communities in our new home at Brewtown when the move takes place later this year.”
Holborow said that, while Tuatara’s departure was disappointing and had come as a surprise, the council remained focused on supporting the growth of the Kā piti economy through its Economic Development Strategy and Food and Beverage Game Plan.
“There is a lot of mahi underway to bring people together and remove barriers and constraints to doing business in Kāpiti – the locally based Tuatara team have been a part of these discussions.
“We’re very fortunate to have a naturally collaborative food and beverage sector, which is a strong and unique selling point for Kā piti, and our work to support this sector is delivering results.
“We’re already seeing the potential for growth through initiatives like The Bond Store’s new districtwide Food and Beverage Logistics Hub in Paraparaumu and there are more great initiatives in the pipeline.
“Council is committed to supporting our business community to thrive and I encourage anyone that needs a bit of help to get in touch with our economic development team.”