A government-run viticulture research station was based at Te Kauwhata in the Waikato from 1901 until the 1980s. Staff imported different grape varieties and rootstocks from Europe and the United States to find the best ones for New Zealand conditions. In this field trial they are investigating the growth of various grape varieties grafted onto two different rootstocks. Most New Zealand vines derive from plants raised at Te Kauwhata – which are now known to have been infected with virus diseases.