Global wine and tourism experts set for Hawke’s Bay conference
New Zealander Dr John Barker, the International Organisation of Vine and Wine Director General, will headline the speaker line-up for the Great Wine Capitals (GWC) International Annual Conference's Knowledge Day in Napier this October.
Knowledge Day forms part of the wider Great Wine Capitals International Annual Conference, running 18–22 October in Hawke's Bay. The five-day conference will bring together wine and tourism professionals, business leaders, researchers and media from all eleven Great Wine Capitals regions.
Dr Barker is the first Director General of the OIV to be elected from the Southern Hemisphere and brings more than 30 years of international vine and wine sector experience to the event.
The OIV is the global scientific and technical reference body for the vine and wine sector, working with governments and experts from 51 vine and wine countries to develop international standards, promote research, and share data.
Conference organisers say that Dr Barker’s presence at Knowledge Day gives Hawke's Bay direct access to the person shaping global standards for the wine industry.
Dr John Barker - Director General OIV
Joining Dr Barker as a keynote speaker is award-winning wine travel writer and global wine presenter Jamie Knee, founder & CEO of Petite Wine Traveler and creator of the Wine as a Passport platform. A contributing writer for Decanter and Forbes Travel Guide, Jamie created, hosts, and co-produces the television series Petite Wine Traveler Explores, and was named a 2026 Wine Travel Awards winner and one of the Top 50 Most Influential Women in Wine and Hospitality.
Her keynote will explore the future of global wine travel, how destinations can use wine, hospitality and sense of place to create meaningful experiences that encourage travellers to stay longer, engage more deeply and return, with a particular focus on the responsibility storytellers and destination leaders carry to represent culture and place authentically.
Other New Zealand and international experts confirmed for Knowledge Day, include:
Marijke Dunselman, founder of Agritourism New Zealand, 2023 NZ Tourism Ticker Person of the Year and 2025 World Agritourism Award winner
Jessica Vandy, sustainability and impact consultant and founder of The Tenth Letter Consulting
Meagan Littlejohn, Programme Manager of Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand
Karl Wixon (Ngāi Tahu / Kāti Māmoe / Waitaha / Moriori / Ngāti Toa Rangatira), Māori strategic advisor and cultural storyteller with more than 35 years' experience, and former Board Member of Hawke's Bay Tourism
Cameron Hayes, Marketing Manager Sustainability at Tourism New Zealand
Associate Professor Joanna Fountain, rural social scientist at Lincoln University
Jeff Sinnott (Ngāti Tūwharetoa – Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa), current President of the New Zealand Society for Viticulture & Oenology
Duncan Darroch, founder of Electric Executive and Hawke's Bay Experiences and 2026 Great Wine Capitals Sustainable Wine Tourism Award recipient
W: For details and tickets visit gwchawkesbay26.com
