An appointed Advisory Committee guides MRC on policy, research and funding. Committee members are drawn from the New Zealand wine industry, pastoral and agricultural producers, research organisations, universities and the Marlborough District Council.
Clive Jones
Chair
Clive Jones is a Trustee for MRC and took over the role as Chair of the MRC Advisory Committee in November 2024.
Clive joined Nautilus Estate as Winemaker in August 1998. Clive originally trained as an industrial chemist before being drawn to the wine industry as a passionate wine consumer. Armed with a degree in Chemistry and a strong analytical mind he joined Selaks Wines in Auckland just before vintage in 1992. Selaks were one of the pioneering Dalmatian winemakers of the West Auckland wine scene at the time and a solid apprenticeship with this Sauvignon Blanc and sparkling specialist ensued. During this time Clive also completed a second degree, this time in applied science (wine science) by distance education at Charles Sturt University.
With a background in the production of Marlborough wines, a move to the region itself and the heart of the New Zealand wine industry to join Nautilus Estate provided the next step in Jones’ career and a welcome lifestyle change for his family. Nautilus also provided the opportunity to continue working with premium sparkling wine which is a key passion.
Clive is a respected member of the local winemaking community and often represents the region on various panels and debates both locally and overseas. He has been involved in wine industry governance at regional or national level since 2010 and is the current Chair of the New Zealand Winegrowers board.
Warwick Lissaman
Agriculture Representative
Warwick is from one of Marlborough’s early farming families; the fourth generation of his family to farm in the Awatere Valley.
After completing a Bachelor of Agriculture and a Bachelor of Commerce with a post graduate diploma in Rural Valuation at Lincoln University, Warwick followed his grandfather and his father onto the family property.
After an active role within New Zealand Young Farmers, Warwick has gone on to take positions of responsibility within the rural sector. In 2008 Warwick chaired the local organising committee for the New Zealand Grassland Association Annual Conference held in Blenheim. Warwick went on to serve eight years on the NZGA executive committee including two years as Vice President and two years as President and has served terms with NZ Meat & Wool and NZ Beef & Lamb Marlborough Monitor Farm executive committees. He also has served as an elected Trustee to the Awatere Community Trust; and is currently Chairman of the Chilean Needle Grass Action Group and a member of the NZ Beef & Lamb Pastures for Profit, Marlborough group.
Warwick’s efforts to help secure funding for dryland pastoral research and a direct involvement in a dryland legumes technology transfer research project precede his appointment in 2011 to the MRC Board.
Amongst his priorities is the wish to see the pastoral sector make greater use of the research capacity of the Research Centre. He believes that science and research is the key to unlocking future opportunities and that it is in the mutual interest of each of the productive sectors of Marlborough to work closely together to fulfil the potential of the district.
“To go forward to new, levels of productivity and/or production systems, site specific solutions are required and an understanding of the natural capital is needed first and foremost. This Site Specific Technology Transfer is very problematic for science as a provider due to resource cost. The direction MRC takes must reflect this need.
A worrying trend is the rise of advertorials in the press, so many choices and so many pseudo-science statements, often farmer testimonials are used instead of peer reviewed scientific evidence.”
Andrew Naylor
Pernod Ricard Representative
Andrew is the Senior Viticulturist for Pernod Ricard Winemakers, responsible for coordinating the productivity and quality of the crop and the technology used on the company and contract grower vineyards.
He liaises with our company operational and planning managers, viticulturists and Grower Liaison Team, to ensure that parcels of fruit are meeting their quality and crop level targets. He spends time in the vineyards looking at the vines and their fruit, as well as time in the office reviewing and planning. There is a lot of information to keep up with and many people who need the information shared with them.
Andrew graduated from Lincoln College with a Diploma in Horticulture and a Diploma in Field Technology. He spent 13 years with MAF / HortResearch before moving to Pernod Ricard (Montana Wines as it was then) in 1995. In the late 90’s he got all keen and began a Masters in Applied Science through Lincoln which he completed in 2002.
Pernod Ricard has supported the Marlborough Research Centre and the Wine Research Centre especially from its beginning. I’m pleased to be continuing the company’s representation following on from the good work of Andy Frost and look forward to valuable interaction with the wider business community of Marlborough.
Alan Johnson
Marlborough District Council Representative
Alan is the Marlborough District Council Environmental Science and Monitoring Manager who is responsible for a team of 30 staff. The team have responsibilities for State of the Environment Monitoring of natural resources (land, water, air) including investigations of environmental issues and the implementation of measures to protect and restore the environment (e.g. biosecurity, catchment care, biodiversity programmes).
Paul Johnstone
Plant & Food Research Representative
Dr Paul Johnstone joins the Advisory Committee of the MRC as a representative of Plant & Food Research where he is the General Manager of Science – Sustainable Production.
In his role Paul leads a group of 150 researchers from across the motu who are passionate about making a difference to food production through science discovery and application. Key areas of focus include tomorrows high productivity systems that are designed to have a lighter touch, and are adapted and resilient to future changes.
Paul studied horticultural science at Massey University and gained his PhD in the area of crop nutrition and irrigation management in 2005. He worked for 5 years in research and extension supporting the horticulture industry in California before returning to New Zealand in 2006.
Paul has held a variety of roles at Plant & Food Research since then including as a ‘hands on’ researcher, Programme Leader, and Science Group Leader. He has a strong interest in seeing science applied and making a difference to the opportunities and challenges before New Zealand’s horticultural sectors.
Richard Dawkins
Agriculture Representative
Richard Dawkins is a fifth-generation Marlborough Sheep and Beef Farmer.
He has held representative roles with Federated Farmers and Beef + Lamb NZ and founded and chaired the Avon Valley Catchment Group.
The Dawkins family have previously won the Marlborough Sheep and Beef Farmer of the Year and the Supreme Award of the Cawthron Marlborough Environment Awards.
Richard is a Kellogg Scholar and sits on the Board of Governors for the Kathleen Spragg Research Trust.
He currently farms sheep and beef at The Pyramid in the Waihopai Valley and takes pride in farm productivity and sustainability.
Amber Parker
Lincoln University Representative
Dr. Amber Parker completed her PhD at Lincoln University in collaboration with Bordeaux Sciences Agro-ISVV-Ecophysiology and Functional Genomics of Grapevines, France. From there, she worked as a scientist in grapevine modelling at Plant & Food Research, then started at Lincoln University in 2015.
Her research focusses on phenological modelling and understanding environmental drivers of phenology, investigating the effects of source-sink modifications of the grapevine on phenology and asynchrony of fruit composition, and understanding impacts and adaptations for viticulture in the context of climate change.
She also has a keen interest in developing and implementing precision agriculture techniques in viticulture.
Juliet Ansell
Bragato Research Institute Representative
Juliet trained at Kings College London and has a PhD from Oxford University.
She has lived and worked as a scientist in the UK, Tanzania, The Gambia, and Australia before taking up a role at Plant & Food Research in New Zealand. In that role Juliet led major research programmes with government and industry support involving lab-based research and human clinical trial work.
She was seconded to Zespri in 2014 as Innovation Leader, initially working on human health and nutrition, delivering scientific substantiation of health communications and claims to marketing, before taking up the role of Head of Core and Resilience Innovation. She has been an elected member of the Executive Council of AgriTechNZ representing Major Corporates.
In July 2024 Juliet was appointed CEO at Bragato Research Institute, bringing her wealth of experience in research and innovation to lead BRI in its next phase of accelerating research and innovation for the New Zealand wine industry.
Stewart Field
Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology Representative
Dr. Stewart Field’s academic journey in viticulture began while pursuing a master’s degree in plant science at Massey University. During this time, he completed an exchange at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California, USA, where he first developed an interest in grapevines. He later earned a doctorate in viticulture from Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga, NSW, Australia, which included a research period at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.
Stewart's research primarily focuses on grapevine physiology, with a particular emphasis on the effects of irrigation and nutrient management on vine growth and development. His work has also explored carbohydrate and nitrogen reserve dynamics, as well as the role of plant hormones in grapevine performance.
Since 2014, Stewart has been actively involved in tertiary education, and in 2018, he joined Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT). At NMIT, he continues to advance viticulture research while contributing to the education and professional development of future leaders in New Zealand’s wine industry. He serves on the Advisory Committee as a representative of NMIT.