A History of The Estate

Te Kawerau ā Maki are the mana whenua (people of the land) of West Auckland. Te Kawerau ā Maki have been a distinct tribal entity since the early 1600s when their ancestor Maki conquered and settled the Auckland isthmus and the land as far north as the Kaipara Harbour.  A series of invasions by other tribes in the 1700s and early 1800s pushed the iwi north and south until they once again became established in the West Auckland area with the support of the Tainui chief, Tewherowhero. However, Te Kawerau ā Maki became pressured to sell more and more of their land with the pressure of European settlement in West Auckland in the last two decades of the 1800s.  

In 1902 a Lebanese immigrant, Assid Abraham Corban, purchased 10 acres of land in Henderson where he planted a vineyard beside the O Panuku stream. Initially named Mt Lebanon Vineyards, this site was to become the Corbans Winery. The Corban family first lived in a cottage on the site, however, this building no longer exists. By 1907 the family had completed building the 3 storey cellar building, which still stands today and by the 1920s the Corban family were the largest winemakers in the country. In 1924 the family Homestead was completed. This building is currently home to the arts centre’s galleries and its reception area. By 1938 the Corban’s vineyard-covered 45 acres, with another 70 acres added from 1940.   

Assid and Najibie Corban had 10 children over a 22 year period.  As each of their children married, they came with their spouses to live in the Homestead with Assid and Najibie. Despite Assid passing away in December 1941, the growth of the winery continued as the Corban family pioneered many new wine-making techniques. With the ongoing expansion of the family-owned winery, other companies began to buy shares during the 1960s and ’70s. By 1978, the Rothmans Corporation owned  78% of the company and took the company over.