The Ormond Nurseries team. Image courtesy New Zealand Wine
Back in 2006 when the New Zealand Young Viticulturist of the Year competition was launched and its inaugural champions crowned, it had the backing of Marlborough-based nursery, Ormond Nurseries. Fast forward twenty years later, and the competition’s first-ever winner, Marcus Wickham, is now general manager at Ormond Nurseries, which has just strengthened the partnership even further by becoming the competition’s naming rights sponsor.
Owned and run by the Wickham family, the nursery is New Zealand’s oldest grafted grapevine nursery with over 40 years of experience in producing high-quality, certified vines and rootstocks.
“This makes the partnership very special indeed,” said Nicky Grandorge, leadership and communities manager at New Zealand Winegrowers. “We are hugely grateful to Ormond Nurseries for their 20 years of sponsorship and very excited to have them step up as our new naming rights sponsor. It’s a wonderful endorsement of the competition, its success in growing future leaders, and the strong community spirit around it.”
In 2020, Ormond Nurseries introduced the Ormond Nurseries Professional Reputation Award to the competition, which considers contestants’ overall conduct and leadership qualities. “It shines a light on the softer skills, which are often just as important as the knowledge-based or technical questions,” explained Sam Wickham, who often participates as a judge at the competitions.
In the challenging current economic climate, Ormond Nurseries, like everyone, is affected and has had to “tighten their belts and get lean”. However, the company said it very much believes in a strong future for the wine industry, and noted that investing in its talented and passionate people is more important than ever during such times.
“Now is the time to draw on two decades of Young Viticulturist success and continue moving forward with purpose by staying positive, giving back, and offering support by investing in pathways for the next generation,” said Marcus Wickham. “Working together is the greatest strength we have as an industry.”
The regional competitions will run throughout June and July 2026, followed by the national final in August 2026. The 2026 Ormond Nurseries Young Viticulturist of the Year will be announced at the annual New Zealand Wine Celebration Dinner on 27 August 2026.
View the Young Viticulturist website here.
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