Grape Days Speakers

Rachel Durie, Perrin Ag

Rachel Durie is a Senior Consultant with Perrin Ag. Growing up on a dairy farm and now contract milking with her partner in the Waikato, she brings practical, on-farm experience to her advisory work. Rachel works with a wide range of farming businesses, from owner-operators to Māori agribusinesses, supporting both day-to-day operations and longer-term planning. Her work spans systems, people, and performance, alongside environmental and compliance support, with a focus on turning complex information into practical decisions. More recently, Rachel has focused on the application of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), exploring how tools like ChatGPT can support decision-making, reduce workload, and lift capability across the primary sector.

Lee Matheson, Perrin Ag

After a six-year career in the financial markets, Lee has been working in agribusiness advisory for almost 20 years, specialising in Māori agribusiness, corporate farm management systems, and the economic impact of environmental policy. Based out of Rotorua, Lee is currently the Managing Director of Perrin Ag, where he leads a team of 26, and is a Registered Fellow of the Institute of Rural Professionals. A father to three “almost-adult” children, outside of his professional distractions, Lee can be found working in his wife’s flower field, chasing stags on the tops, or tragically watching test cricket.

Dr Damian Martin, Bioeconomy Science Institute

Damian is the Science Group Leader, Viticulture & Oenology at Bioeconomy Science Institute. His research specialities and interests encompass eco-physiology of the grapevine and the influence of viticultural and winemaking inputs on wine quality attributes merged with the use of digital technologies in research to accelerate knowledge acquisition. I developed and managed one of NZ’s largest single vineyards Ara (now Indevin Bankhouse) and have worked in senior management, technical and operational roles for leading New Zealand wine companies Montana and Corbans. In these roles I oversaw viticulture and wine production at large scale for both ultra-premium and commercial-grade wines.

Dr Amber Parker, Lincoln University

Amber is an Associate Professor and the Director of the Centre for Viticulture and Oenology at Lincoln University, New Zealand. She completed her PhD at Lincoln University in collaboration with Bordeaux Sciences Agro-ISVV-Ecophysiology and Functional Genomics of Grapevines, France. From there, she worked as a scientist in grapevine modelling at Plant & Food Research, then started at Lincoln University in 2015. Her research focuses on understanding environmental drivers of phenology, investigating the impacts of effects of source-sink modifications of the grapevine on phenology and asynchrony of fruit composition, and understanding impacts and adaptations for viticulture in the context of climate change. She enjoys working with the wine industry on research projects to help solve key issues and to develop new ideas and solutions for future sustainable grape and wine production, particularly in the context of global climate change.

Dr Leandro Dias Araujo, Lincoln University

Leandro is a Brazilian food-engineer-turned-wine chemist. After completing his PhD in chemistry at the University of Auckland, he joined Lincoln University and is now a wine chemistry senior lecturer. His research centres on elemental sulfur and its impact on wine quality – from volatile thiol formation in Sauvignon Blanc to sulfur residues in Pinot Noir. Other research areas include phenolic and aroma chemistry, grape-waste valorisation, advanced analytical techniques, and sensory evaluation. Leandro currently leads a Bragato Research Institute-funded study exploring the persistence of elemental sulfur in Pinot Noir grapes.

Dr Cen Liau, Bragato Research Institute

Cen joined BRI's Grapevine Improvement team in November 2022, as Postdoctoral Scientist – Grapevine Epigenomics. Cen primarily works on the Tuned Vines project to study epigenetics of grapevine in different climates or in response to stress. Originally from Indonesia, Cen completed her PhD in human genetics at the University of Otago – Christchurch in 2020, focusing on the application of novel genomic technologies and bioinformatics. She has molecular genetics background from her previous roles in molecular diagnostic and clinical genetic laboratories.

Prof Bruno Fedrizzi, University of Auckland

Bruno is an Associate Professor in Analytical Chemistry, Food and Wine Chemistry at the University of Auckland. He has obtained his BSc, MSc and PhD at the University of Padova (Italy) and has had research and work experiences in Italy, France, Australia and New Zealand.  

Dr Annabel Whibley, Bragato Research Institute

Annabel is a Bioinformatician in BRI's Grapevine Improvement team. Her role explores genomic datasets to glean insights into grapevine biology. Annabel completed her PhD in plant molecular genetics at the John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK. Since then, she has applied genomics technologies to questions in clinical research, evolution and conservation. As a bioinformatician at BRI, she is characterising genetic and epigenetic diversity in new and existing grapevines to develop more resilient plants for the future. Annabel also holds an Honorary Academic position in the School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland.

Dr Paul Epee, Bragato Research Institute

Paul has a PhD in Agronomy and Viticulture from Lincoln University. His research characterised and quantified the pruning decisions made by an expert human pruner, which in turn will be used to train Artificial intelligence (AI) systems in cane pruning, thus contributing to alleviating manual labour in vineyards. His research also investigated the effect of changing node loads on the grapevine vegetative and reproductive growth. Paul holds a master’s degree in Agronomy from the University of Queensland (Australia) as well as a bachelor’s degree (Honours) in Agronomy from his home country, Cameroon. He has over a decade of experience in agriculture advising and research management in a range of crops including banana, barley and grapevine. 

Dr Stewart Field, NMIT

Stewart developed an early interest in plants, leading him to pursue degrees in Plant Science, including a doctorate in viticulture. His academic journey included studies in New Zealand, USA, Australia, and Canada, focusing on grapevine physiology. After working in the industry in Wairarapa and Hunter Valley, Stewart returned to academia in 2014, first as a lecturer at Eastern Institute of Technology and then at Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology from 2018. His research emphasises irrigation, nutrition management, and plant hormones, aiming to inspire future viticulture students in New Zealand’s wine industry.