Wine NOT Mine

An exclusive five course long lunch at a world class venue in the Dunstan Mountains, with a stunning selection of paired wines from 10 local, Bendigo vineyards – all of them producing excellent, organic wines. Join local personalities Sam Neill and Grahame Sydney, along with the Bendigo winemakers, for this one-off fundraiser. All proceeds will go towards expert fees and legal support to oppose Santana’s controversial fast-track Bendigo-Ophir mine, the first of many planned for Otago. Further details are found on this page, or if you are ready to secure your place …

Key elements of the day

Guest Speaker: Sam Neill

Recently recognised by the New Zealand film industry as the “NZ Screen Awards Legend 2025” for his outstanding contribution during his 40+ year career to date, renowned actor Sam Neill joins us for lunch. Sam will share his thoughts on life in Central Otago, including his passion for nature, our landscapes and winegrowing.

Guest Speaker: Grahame Sydney

Regarded as one of New Zealand’s most accomplished living artists, Grahame Sydney’s artworks have become iconic in Central Otago, throughout New Zealand and the world. Grahame will share with us his passion for our wonderful landscapes which feature in his work and the community we live in.

World class venue: The Canyon

The venue for this event is simply world class. If you have not been here before, you are in for a treat. Nestled half way up the Dunstan Mountains, with commanding views from Bendigo to the Lindis and out towards Wānaka and Hāwea, this unassuming location opens up truly breathtaking views from a fresh perspective. Proprietor Hayden Johnson invites you to enjoy The Canyon.

Four Course Long Lunch

Central Otago Chef, Jess Matheson of the Rusty Petticoat, is well known for serving superb, beautifully presented fare. The Long Lunch menu has been created with deep intention and a genuine sense of responsibility to the place we call home. Every dish you’ll enjoy has been crafted solely from Otago-sourced ingredients – a celebration of the land, producers, and ecosystems that make this region so extraordinary.

Paired wines with lunch, from ten local winegrowers who will present their wines to you

Ten local (Bendigo) winegrowers will present their superb organic wines – a choice of two with each course – for you to enjoy. They’ll take a few moments to share insights into their wine growing, and their passion for Central Otago. They’ll also be on hand throughout the event to chat in more detail and answer any questions you have.

Short, rolling presentation about the fast-track mine, in the Cinema – rolling all day

Take a few moments to step into Central Otago’s most surprising cinema – built between massive schist rocks, overlooking Bendigo and Tarras. We’ll run a short, informative explainer film on loop all afternoon – watch this at your leisure, with a glass of wine. The film features Sam Neill up on the mine site, plus others including Professor James Higham.

Central Otago and tourism insights from Professor James Higham

Featured in the cinema presentation, James Higham, Distinguished Professor of Sustainable Tourism (both at Otago University and Griffith University – Brisbane) will share his perspectives with you on Central Otago, tourism and the fast-track mine. James is very familiar with the area, having had strong links with Central Otago for his entire life.

Take a quick guided tour of Santana’s fast-track mine site in the Dunstan Mountains

Join Sam Neill (on the silver screen at The Canyon) as he takes you on a quick tour of the Dunstan Mountains – specifically the Shepherd’s Creek area – to show you where Australian company Santana Minerals is planning to build their open cast mine, complete with massive toxic tailings dam. You’ll get a real sense of the size, scale and likely impact of the proposed mine.

About Santana’s controversial fast track mine

People are still coming to understand just what a threat this fast-track mine is (and all of the potential fast-track mining applications which will no doubt follow) if Santana is successful. There are dozens of companies with active exploration permits, and publicly stated plans to mine heavily throughout Otago.

If you are not fully up to speed, below is just a sample of some of the information curated and shared about Santana’s mine by the team of volunteers at Sustainable Tarras. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

Scroll through the photos below (swipe to see further photos)

Selected images of our venue, The Canyon

Thank you to everyone who is supporting this event – the venue, caterer, Bendigo winegrowers and volunteers. But most of all, thanks to those of you who plan to join us on the day. Your support will make the world of difference at a critical time.

CLICK TO BOOK TICKETS FOR THE EVENT

Need to contact us?

We’ve asked the team at Sustainable Tarras to field any event related enquiries. They will try and get back to you promptly, but please be patient: they are all volunteers.

Please email them on comms@sustainabletarras.com