She works in New Zealand, in Australia, and internationally for organisations like APEC and Commonwealth Secretariat. Jo and her husband also own a small vineyard in Martinborough and if that’s not enough she writes regular wine columns for Stuff and Your Home and Garden magazine, shares what she’s drinking on her @winesauvy Instagram account where she documents her wine journey, and she’s currently studying for her last exam for her WSET Diploma – “the dreaded D3”.
How did she get involved in the wine industry to begin with? “When I was growing up on the outskirts of Christchurch in the 80s, one of my Dad's friends took the plunge and planted the St Helena vineyard. Dad helped out and received payment each year in wine,” she says. “Having fine wine was a real novelty in those days of fill-you-own flagons and brown bottles in crates. As a result, us kids were offered the opportunity to try great wines. This seeded my life-long appreciation for great wine that saw us buy a vineyard and me investing in my wine education.”
“The wine industry needs the best and brightest talent but the evidence shows there are still barriers to attracting, developing and retaining women.”
A pertinent topic in the lead up to International Women’s Day, given her recent appointment as Chair of New Zealand Women in Wine, Jo shares her perception of women in the wine industry. “As part of my orientation for the position of Chair, I've read about and talked to women in the wine industry. My sense is that there are amazing women doing amazing things and increasingly so.” That being said, Jo says the landscape needs to change. “The wine industry needs the best and brightest talent but the evidence shows there are still barriers to attracting, developing and retaining women.”
One of those barriers might be the gender pay gap. In the latest official industry report published in 2022, the overall median average gap for base salary for all roles in the wine industry was 7.8% (the national average was 9.1%). “The data behind the gender pay gap clearly points to why it exists,” says Jo. “There are fewer women in senior roles (such as management and 'chief' roles), and more women in technical, assistant roles (the lesser paid roles).”
"We need to make the few women who are winemakers visible and able to share their career experiences to encourage others because 'you can't be what you can't see'.”
Jo has plenty to say on the matter. She points out that the 2019 NZW 'Our People' report (based on 700 responses from industry people) found that there are several barriers to women entering and progressing in their wine careers. “They included poor maternity leave and flexible working arrangements, lack of opportunities due to the 'old boys network', discrimination and even sexual harassment were the most cited.” Jo notes that “as an industry, we need to address these issues if we are going to attract and retain more women.” What can be done? “As a starting point we need to make the few women who are winemakers visible and able to share their career experiences to encourage others because 'you can't be what you can't see'.”
When prompted about what holds most companies and organisations back from ‘doing better’ in the diversity and inclusion space, Jo says that in her experience, it’s often that “leadership isn't really committed”. “Ensuring you attract the full range of talent and you get the best from everyone needs to be part of your business strategy,” she adds. “It's about having the best, most productive people: not a tag-on, or nice to do. The companies that are serious are rewarded by becoming employers of choice, with motivated loyal staff.”
Jo’s vision for the New Zealand Women in Wine initiative is that its work nationally and within regions, “both encourages and supports women in their wine careers and supports employers to attract and retain the best talent”. In her view – a view in which she’s not alone – any woman considering a career in wine should “go for it!” “It is a vibrant, exciting industry full of opportunities. New Zealand wine encompasses everything that is magnificent about New Zealand in one glass: our amazing land, the care we take over it, innovation, courage, resilience and pure hard work, with a big dash of passion.”
