New Zealand Winegrowers has announced the appointment of its 2024 Fellows – Nick Hoskins, Xan Harding and Michael Brajkovich MW – recognising them for their outstanding contributions to New Zealand’s wine industry.
“From spearheading invaluable research, to holding the gauntlet in governance, to setting enviable, word-class winemaking standards, the work of these individuals has helped to elevate the New Zealand Wine industry on the world wine stage over the past 40 years,” says Clive Jones, Chair of New Zealand Winegrowers.
“This award recognises them for their years of dedication and their role in shaping the New Zealand wine industry to be what it is today.”
The New Zealand Winegrowers Fellows for 2024 are Nick Hoskins, for services to research; Xan Harding, for services to industry organisations; and Michael Brajkovich MW, for services to winemaking.
Nick Hoskins
Nick’s love for the outdoors originally landed him an apprenticeship with the Wellington Parks department at age 17. Fortunately for New Zealand’s wine industry, that preceded a segue into research where he has since heavily influenced the Wairarapa wine industry, Pinot Noir clones, and grapevine health and genetics.
He was a driving influence for change, eventually becoming Chair of the Grapevine Improvement Group, a certification scheme aimed at helping to protect the wine industry by ensuring vines were true to type and virus-free. His aptitude and passion for research and translating this into tangible outcomes for industry led him to become an expert in this field.
Nick took over NZW’s Virus Elimination Project in 2009, a position that changed the course of his career, leading him to manage NZW’s Vineyard Ecosystems project where he oversaw research by Plant & Food Research, Auckland University, and Linnaeus Laboratory. Since the conclusion of that project Nick has supported Riversun Nursery with research and development and helped to establish agritech startup BioScout. He is recognised as a Fellow for services to research and continues to serve the industry by leading cutting-edge technology into the field.
Xan Harding
Originally hailing from Upper Hutt, Xan has been a stalwart of the Hawke’s Bay wine scene for over two decades. It is for this commitment that he is recognised for services to industry organisations.
Xan studied Horticultural Science at Massey University before landing a job in banking, moving to Wellington to work in policy, then spending five years in the banking scene in China where an epiphany thrust him into the wine scene. He and his wife Ali planted vines in Hawke’s Bay in the early 2000s, but Xan has always kept a dual focus on both the vineyard and governance.
His dedication to the industry is evident in the 14 years he has spent supporting Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers, alongside five years served on the NZW Board and Finance committee, two years with the Sustainable Winegrowing committee, and a seat at the table of the Hawke’s Bay Labour Governance Group, Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers Charitable Trust, and Hawke’s Bay Future Farming Trust.
In 2022 Xan was elected as a counsellor to Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, while simultaneously fostering biodiversity, electrification and organics at his own vineyard in Bridge Pa.
A primary focus of Xan’s over the past 20 years has been the state of waterways and he is broadly regarded as the primary representative for Hawke’s Bay Wine’s interests in water and environmental protection.
Michael Brajkovich MW
Michael has spent more than 50 years ingrained in New Zealand’s wine industry and is widely acknowledged as the country’s most respected and influential Chardonnay producer.
Michael’s family winery, West-Auckland-based Kumeu River, has been instrumental in putting New Zealand Chardonnay on the world wine stage. Michael became New Zealand’s first Master of Wine in 1989.
He was Chair of Judges at the Air New Zealand Wine Awards and the Royal Adelaide Wine Show, and was the 2024 Winemaker’s Winemaker, presented by The Institute of Masters of Wine and The Drinks Business. Michael trailblazed the move to screw cap wine bottles in 2001, a move that changed the face of the wine industry globally. He is recognised as a Fellow for services to winemaking.
The 2024 Fellows will be formally acknowledged at the Altogether Unique 2024 Celebration Dinner on 29 August in Wellington.
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