Arguably, a more productive impulse may be recalibration rather than wholesale change – not asking what comes next, but rather what is better left behind as we embark on another year. So how might this lens be applied to our industry?
Better not bigger - New Zealand wine has spent decades refining efficiency, scale and consistency, with notable success. But has the dial swung too far? What might be gained from fewer SKUs, less pursuit of low-margin markets, and clearer intent – nationally, regionally, and at producer level? Choosing focus over perpetual expansion might run counter to the norm but when applied strategically can be powerful, especially if aligned with the pursuit of value.
Value not volume - New Zealand wine has excelled at exporting volume, often at the expense of meaningfully shared returns. An honest reckoning is needed around what ‘value’ really means – for growers squeezed by rising costs, for land under greater environmental and climate pressure, and for drinkers increasingly skeptical of ‘premium’ as a term promising more than it delivers. Value should mean more than a pricing exercise.
Climate thinking - Climate change is typically framed as a technical problem to be solved through rootstocks, clones, irrigation, or vineyard and winery tools. These matter of course but may not be sufficient, especially as we work towards the Net Zero 2050 goal. Cultural change is also required, via openness about tradeoffs, willingness to rethink entrenched practices, and the intellectual courage to challenge assumptions and champion imaginative thinking.
Representation - Whose perspectives are missing or underrepresented in our national conversations? Growers are often less audible than brands, while some regions remain under the radar. The growing presence of Māori worldviews – when engaged with seriously rather than symbolically – has positively broadened our frames of reference. This isn’t about diversity for its own sake but about expanding the industry’s range as old narratives lose lustre.
Confidence vs curiosity - Our wines’ quality and sustainability justify confidence. But curiosity may now serve us better – about how and why our wines are consumed, how trust and connection is built with drinkers, and how younger audiences are relating to wine, if they do at all. Asking better questions, and grappling with the answers, will matter.
A new year doesn’t necessarily require wholesale reinvention. But it does offer permission to pause, discard what no longer serves, and think honestly, a discipline worth practicing individually, and industry wide.
