Martinborough winery, Nga Waka, has announced the appointment of Mick Hodson as General Manager.
A change of ownership in 2015 to Jay Short and his wife Peggy Dupey, has seen a slow but steady stream of positive improvements to the winery and brand, and Hodson’s appointment is part of that transformation. He will focus on sales and marketing while winemaker Roger Parkinson will continue his remarkable success of more than a quarter of a century of vintages.
“I don’t think there is another winery in Martinborough that has had the same winemaker for 26 vintages – Roger’s technical skill as a winemaker and local knowledge is reflected in the high quality of the wines he produces,” says Jay Short.
“Bringing Mick into the business, with his experience in sales and marketing, will enable Roger to focus further on what he is renowned for: producing the best wines possible from our vineyards in key sites across Martinborough.”
Hodson started in the wine industry in 1992 working for Eurowine (now Eurovintage) in Wellington. Since then he has had various senior roles in sales, marketing and retail within the wine industry. Most recently he was managing the ‘original’ Glengarry Wines store on Jervois Road in Herne Bay. Nga Waka wines are distributed by Hancocks, where Hodson worked for many years in the marketing team.
“I have worked with Roger and the Nga Waka wines for a long time and have immensely enjoyed growing the brand and continuing to build the profile of the wines,” he says. “I am looking forward to being very hands-on, getting stuck into this new role and helping Jay and Peggy take Nga Waka through to the next stage. It’s an exciting time for Nga Waka, and a great time to be on board.”
