Congratulations to NZ Winegrowers (NZWG) for leading the way with a dedicated GM Sustainability role and to Dr Ed Massey for stepping into the position.
Ed was previously the Biosecurity and Response manager for NZWG, based at the MRC campus.
Ed will be ensuring sustainability is embedded throughout all activities of NZWG to protect and enhance the reputation of New Zealand wine. Other key objectives include working with the Environment Committee and enhancing NZ Winegrower's relationship with regional wine associations.
Ed says he is looking to make a difference and get the whole organisation focused on what can improve to ensure that sustainability is at the core of all activity.
The GM Sustainability role was created as a result of a Pricewaterhouse Cooper (PwC) review which recommended establishing a sustainability role with overarching responsibility within NZWG.
“Sustainability is critical in terms of ensuring we can protect the places that make our wine. It is really important that NZWG demonstrates leadership in that field, and also that we do so in a coordinated fashion,” says Ed.
“We have had our Sustainable Winegrowing NZ programme (SWNZ) for two decades now. We need to assess where we are at with that and what we can do to enhance it to not only make it more useful and better for our members to engage with, but also to ensure we remain as world leaders when it comes to sustainable wine growing”
PwC’s review also highlighted the importance of diversity for the vibrancy and sustainability of the wine industry.
Ed will be the key contact for regional engagement from Central Otago right through to Northland. He says he is looking forward to engaging with everyone to find out how can we improve what are we doing well, where the opportunities are, and how can we work together to project our interests and help each other.
While based in Marlborough, the national role will require plenty of early morning travel.
Ed says he is really looking forward to getting into the challenge and to working really closely with Wine Marlborough and the Bragato Research Institute and also others around the MRC campus to help continue to embed sustainability across the scope of the wine industry’s activities. “It is becoming a real hub here; it is good to be part of it.”