Wine insights vital to thriving industry

A New Zealand-wide workforce research initiative spearheaded in Marlborough will help keep the wine industry thriving, organisers say.

The move involves a major collaboration between key wine industry players, from growers to bottling experts.

Wine Marlborough Ltd General Manager Marcus Pickens says this is a critical and exciting project for the industry.

“This is a collaborative project that will help us ensure that New Zealand continues to have a strong, capable and thriving wine industry made up of healthy people and businesses,” he says.

“The outcomes of this research will give us a big picture understanding of where we are, and where gaps exist that need filling to ensure our wine industry remains robust into the future.”

A survey will open on September 25 inviting growers, wine companies and providers of industry goods and services to share insights into their workforce and what skills they need.

The project will be led by Wine Marlborough Ltd Advocacy Manager Nicci Armour, who is being supported by an industry steering group with representatives from wine businesses in multiple regions around the country.

Analysis on this scale has not been done in the New Zealand wine industry says steering group member and Rose Family Estate Winemaker, Nick Entwistle.

“It’s a really important piece of work that will capture who’s in our workforce, what skills they have and whether there are areas we need to look at developing.

“It will capture information around the future skills employers will need to plan for in their business,” Nick says.

“The nationwide industry survey is a key foundation. We’re really working hard to make sure it’s not just another survey that goes out and the data gets lost, we want it to have a lasting impact.”

Outcomes of the work are especially important for Marlborough, where the wine industry accounts for 20 per cent of the regional GDP and one in five jobs.

“Our peripheral industries play a huge role in the economy of Marlborough and the advancement of the wine industry …,” Nick says.

“If they can see that the industry is crying out for specific services, they can hopefully work to create their own niche and build their workforce within those areas.

“It’s going to give us some really beneficial information that we can take to central government and say, ‘this is where the focus is for our workforce going forward."

The collaborative project is being co-funded by the Sector Workforce Engagement Programme, part of Kānoa – Regional Economic Development, New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW), and the Marlborough Research Centre (MRC).

The survey closes on October 16. The final report is expected in March 2024, before being shared with participants in May.