Simon Towns

BRI Board Member

Simon’s course to the wine industry was guided by his background in finance and investment banking. In 2007 he took position with Boston Consulting Group, New Zealand where he developed US growth strategies for two major Australasian wine brands, assisted in the organizational redesign of the US distribution arm of a global wines and spirits company and designed an opportunity identification framework across four geographies for a global wines and spirits company.  Since then he has worked as Managing Director of Mumm Napa and joined Constellation Brands New Zealand as Managing Director in May 2016, after he was promoted from SVP Strategy and Development for Constellation Brands in San Francisco.

An Auckland native, Simon was a professional athlete with an illustrious field hockey career. He has 217 senior caps for New Zealand and has led teams across New Zealand, Australia, France and the UK, including the Olympic Games in 2004 and two world cups in 1998 and 2002.

Tanya Rutan

Research Winery Manager

Tanya Rutan started as the Research Winery Manager in January 2020. Originally from the USA, her eagerness to study wine started while helping out a friend with a casual vineyard role on Waiheke Island.  She enrolled in the Wine Science programme at the University of Auckland where she went on to receive a MSc in Wine Chemistry after completing a research project which worked closely with the wine industry investigating the chemical composition and sensory attributes of Pinot noir wines produced across NZ.

The success of this project led her to go on to complete a PhD in Wine Science, once again working in collaboration with industry on identifying the primary aromatic compounds and phenolic composition of Central Otago Pinot noir wines.

Tanya moved to the Marlborough region three years ago where she took a role as a Post-doctoral Scientist with Plant and Food Research working on projects in the Pinot noir programme.  “I’m overjoyed to be given an opportunity to join such a capable and dynamic team at Bragato Research Institute and look forward to working with industry to bring wine science research and innovation together to forge an exciting future for the New Zealand wine industry.”

Michelle Barry

Technical Communications Specialist

Michelle joined the BRI team in September 2019. Her background in environmental science and soil science provides her with a unique perspective on winegrowing, as well as research and technical writing skills.

Last year Michelle completed a harvest in the Mosel and she loves wine so much she’s producing small volumes of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and Rose with her partner Tom. “I’m delighted Michelle will be joining us”, said MJ Loza, BRI CEO. “This is a pivotal role ensuring research and other technical information is communicated so it can be readily picked up and used to benefit members’ businesses, communities and the industry overall.”

Dr Darrell Lizamore

Principal Research Scientist – Grapevine Improvement

Darrell joined the BRI team in August 2019. In his role Darrell aims to build an integrated national programme bringing together capability in this area across different organisations as well as building a team and internal capability at BRI focussing on grapevine improvement. With potential benefits for quality, productivity, pest and disease resistance and resilience to a changing climate, grapevine improvement has the potential to make a significant impact to sustainability and the industry’s long term success. “This is a unique opportunity to develop a world-class research centre for New Zealand’s wine industry. I am thrilled to be joining a skilled and highly-motivated team to be part of the story.” says Darrell.

Originally from the Stellenbosch wine region in South Africa, Darrell’s most recent role was a research officer at Lincoln University working on plant improvement. His work focused on understanding how environmental stress events alter the DNA of plants and harnessing this potential to accelerate the production of new horticultural varieties. This approach is being trialled in four species, with grapevine as the model crop, and has resulted in an experimental population of new grapevine clones.

Jacqueline Wood

Assistant Winemaker

Jacqui has joined the Bragato Research Institute (BRI) team as Assistant Winemaker, working in our new research winery (in the NMIT teaching winery) alongside the BRI team and Claire Grose from Plant and Food Research (PFR). Jacqui will be helping oversee the setup of the new facility and will be undertaking the winemaking trials during harvest in the new custom-made fermentation tanks.

With the completion of a post graduate degree in biochemistry Jacqui spent time working as a research assistant for Lincoln University before relocating to Marlborough in 2010 with her family to take up a position in the wine industry. Since then she has done a number of overseas vintages and worked with several Marlborough wineries in both winemaking and laboratory manager positions.

Dr Bruce Campbell

Dr Campbell has a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in ecology from The University of Sheffield. He is a recipient of the 2017 Prime Minister’s Science Prize, 2017 Horticulture New Zealand Industry Service Award and 2016 Royal Society of New Zealand Thomson Medal for outstanding leadership of agricultural and horticultural science.

Vision & Mission & Purpose

Vision

Transforming the NZ grape and wine industry through research, innovation and extension

Mission

Delivering world-leading research outcomes from grape to glass

Purpose

Research to support the sustainable and diversified value growth of NZ wine.
Research to protect and enhance the competitive position and reputation of NZ wine.

The Bragato Research Institute was established with MBIE funding as the first Regional Research Institute (RRI). The RRI initiative was a government programme created in 2015 to establish new, independently governed, private or private not-for-profit Regional Research Institutes with a purpose to:

• benefit regions outside the main population centres (Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch).
• support and further enhance regional advantage in New Zealand by stimulating leading edge, industrially exploitable and commercially focused research.

Fang Gou

Data Co-ordinator

Fang started her studies at China Agricultural University in Beijing, receiving her BSc majoring in agro-meteorology, and her MSc in simulation and modelling intercropping systems. Building on that, she received her PhD from Wageningen University in the Netherlands on yield gains in wheat-maize intercropping systems. Fang lives a few doors down from the BRI location on Budge Street with her husband Jun-Qi and daughter Julia. Jun-Qi works at Plant and Food Research, also based on the Budge Street campus.

Fang’s key project will be to establish a catalogue of the industry’s existing research data– so we (and other researchers) know what’s already been done, what data exists, and how to access it. Depending on what she finds, we’ll also look at putting that data into a database (or collection of databases) where that information may be analysed across different projects. For future projects we will be establishing data standards and protocols and a new research database framework to be able to mine the full potential of the data we’re generating and collecting.

Janette McKibbin

Research Administrator

Janette McKibbin has worked for New Zealand Winegrowers for more than 10 years. She is the Research Administrator for the BRI and is based in Auckland..

Janette holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Auckland.

Email: janette.mckibbin@bri.co.nz

MJ Loza

CEO

MJ started as CEO at the BRI in May 2018. After a year based in California as GM Americas for Accolade Wines, MJ was pleased to return to Marlborough as GM for Putake Honey. Since 2006, MJ has held GM and CEO roles in the wine industry in Marlborough.

Prior to that MJ held senior innovation management roles with Fonterra, after 10 years with the deer industry, including 4 years as CEO of Deer Industry NZ. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Law from The University of Auckland.

Email mj.loza@bri.co.nz

Will Kerner

Research Programme Manager

Will has been involved in the New Zealand wine industry since the late 90s, when his family developed land in the upper Wairau Valley in Marlborough. He oversees a number of research projects, including the Vineyard Eco-systems and pathogens research projects.

Will has enjoyed working on both sides of wine production, at his family estate, and for premier wineries in the U.S.A and Chile. He holds a BA in philosophy from the University of Colorado and a Master of Science, with a master’s research project focused on the science behind terroir expression.

Email will.kerner@bri.co.nz

Vision Mātauranga

“Unlocking the Innovation Potential of Māori Knowledge, Resources and People” is the MBIE policy framework to guide research investment decisions. BRI embraces this policy and its underlying intent. To that end, we are committed to incorporating where appropriate, Māori knowledge, resources – including vineyards and wineries – and people into our research programmes in order to unlock the indigenous innovation potential and to assist New Zealanders to create a better future.

Specifically, we will:

• Explore indigenous knowledge, for example, through discussion and consultation with Māori;
• Foster the weaving of knowledge in a cross-cultural style, for example, by encouraging partnerships with Māori individuals, business, incorporations, iwi, hapū and marae and by supporting research providers’ involvement of Māori students in our research programmes;
• Support contribution to economic growth through indigenous innovation, for example, by exploring the contribution that native flora and fauna can make to the sustainability of our businesses and involving Māori-owned vineyards and wineries in our research programmes; and
• Work towards environmental sustainability, for example, through consideration of iwi and hapū relationships with land and sea and kaitiakitanga.

Embedding Vision Mātauranga into BRI research

Vision Mātauranga is based on principles of sustainability or ‘toitu’, ensuring a legacy for future generations through acknowledgement of our heritage and provenance. Environmental sustainability is embodied in the concept of Papatūānuku or ‘land wellbeing’.

Papatūānuku – the land

In the Māori world view, land gives birth to all things, including humankind, and provides the physical and spiritual basis for life. Papatūānuku, the land, is a powerful mother earth figure who gives many blessings to her children.

We have set a research foundation of sustainability and are ensuring Vision Mātauranga is integral to all of our research aims.

Vision Mātauranga is at the core of our research theme ‘Protecting our Terroir, provenance and Eco-systems’. With a focus on provenance and sustainability, principles of Vision Mātauranga are building blocks of our research, rather than an adjunct to research.

James Dicey

After completing a BCom/LLB (University of Otago, 1993) James initially got admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor (High Court of NZ, 1993) before starting work for Deloitte and practicing as a Chartered Accountant (ICANZ, 1997) in NZ, Amsterdam and then London. This was followed by 5 years consulting in London before returning to NZ to start work for Grape Vision Ltd a vineyard development management and consultancy business owned by his father Robin. He retrained by undertaking a Graduate Diploma in Viticulture and Oenology (Lincoln University, 2005) and worked with his father in the company until he purchased it in 2009. Highlights include multiple gold medals, the ISWC Trophy, Pinot Noir (2013) and Royal Easter Trophy, Riesling (2016) as well as being awarded Innovation and Soil Management awards, South Island Farmer of the Year (2016) and the Joint Viticulturalist of the Year (Gourmet Wine Traveller 2017).

James has been a director of Mt Difficulty Wines Ltd since returning to NZ in 2004 (helping grow the company from production of 200t to 1200t), as well as the Season Solutions Cooperative (2008-16) helping grow the Co-op’s turnover from 120k to 23m during his tenure. Additionally he has been on the board of the Central Otago Winegrowers Association since 2005, holding the position of President for 5 years. For NZ Winegrowers he was a member of the NZ Winegrowers Research Committee (2009-13) before being elected a director of the full board of NZ Winegrowers (2016-Present) and being appointed from that board to become a Director of the NZ Winegrowers Research Centre (2017-Present).

James brings a strong entrepreneurial streak to any business he has worked on, consistently achieving significant profitable growth. He has experience with governing multiple start-ups and dealing with an evolving operating environment, ensuring growth is balanced with process. A strategic thinker, James also has the ability to ensure this is resolved into actionable projects.

Dominic Pecchenino

Dominic Pecchenino is well and truly entrenched in the New Zealand wine growing community. He has been growing grapes and consulting on all aspects of vineyard management since his arrival in Marlborough in 1994. Dominic was a member of the first Bragato committee and oversaw the initial Silver Secateurs competition in 1995.

Dominic has served as a committee member, deputy chair and Chairman of Wine Marlborough; New Zealand grape Growers Marlborough representative; New Zealand Wine Growers member, and currently is Chairman of the New Zealand Winegrowers Research Committee. He has been involved in several research projects and co-authored papers on mechanical thinning, mulch, and frost.

Dominic has more than 30 years’ experience in the grape growing industry spanning the Californian, Australian, and New Zealand premium wine grape growing areas. Dominic has a BSc in Viticulture and a Master of Science (Viticulture) Degree from California State University Fresno.

Dominic oversees a vineyard management company, and is a director of both Professional Vineyard Services Ltd labour company and Pecchenino Viticulture Consultants Ltd consulting company in Blenheim.

Peter Holley

Peter was born in Johannesburg South Africa and educated at St. Stithians College. In 1978 he was conscripted into the South African Defence Force where he was commissioned and served for four years. He completed a B.Com (Hons) degree at Rhodes University and a Master of Business Leadership (MBL) the University of South Africa. He has held junior, senior and international marketing positions at both Richardson Vicks and Boots Pharmaceuticals Plc. A career spanning a number of decades and industries has evidenced extensive and successful strategic and operational initiatives. These have included brand development, acquisitions, product divestment, company mergers, capital restructuring and large capital projects – all of which have resulted in significant value creation.

Peter has been involved with the New Zealand wine industry since he and his family immigrated in 1996. Since then he has held the position of CEO at Mission Estate and has been fortunate to work alongside a team of dedicated professionals in the restructuring and recapitalization of the business. Mission Estate is widely acknowledged as a leading wine company in the industry. Peter has held a number of directorships including New Zealand Winegrowers, Mission restaurant and is a Director and Chair of the NZ Winegrowers Finance Committee. He was awarded the honour of Hawkes Bay business person of the year in 2011 and has also been awarded the Paul Harris Fellowship by Rotary New Zealand for services to the community. He is married to Linda and they have three adult daughters.