From the CEO

The virus won’t change; so business must

PHILIP GREGAN

ON MARCH 23, New Zealand Winegrowers chief executive Philip Gregan and chair John Clarke took part in a conference call with Minister for Primary Industries Damien O’Connor, the leadership team of Ministry for Primary Industries, and other primary sector representatives. At that meeting they were advised that the grape and wine industry (along with other food and beverage producers) and all parts of the supply chain may continue to operate during the Covid-19 Level 3 and 4 Alerts as essential businesses, providing all businesses adhere to very strict criteria. There will be zero tolerance of non-compliance, says Philip. “There is one very clear message, and that is that the primary aim of the Government is to do just one thing, and that is stop the spread of the virus. Everything else is secondary to that primary goal.” On March 25, just a few hours after the Government declared a State of Emergency, and hours before the Level 4 Alert came in, Philip took part in a webinar with the Marlborough wine industry to address industry questions. First, he emphasised the importance of stopping the spread of Covid-19. Here are some of his words:

We’re in a very privileged position in the grape and wine industry, that we have been designated as essential businesses. With that privilege comes a huge responsibility. In running a business in this new environment, our first responsibility is going to be exactly the same as the Government’s goal - our first responsibility is to stop the spread of the virus. Another way of helping think about that is to assume for a moment that every single person in your business and every other contractor and business you are dealing with has the virus… then think, ‘what can I do to stop the spread of the virus coming into my business, between people coming in and going out?’

The virus isn’t going to change its behaviour, so the industry as operators need to change our behaviours so we don’t spread the virus. What does that mean? What that means is that every business needs to look at every process and every activity and ensure that it is organised in such a way that that activity does not spread the virus, and that the workers’ health and safety is protected. If you have an activity that you cannot modify or change to stop the spread of the virus, then that activity must cease. If it is so important to your business that it would cause you to stop your business, then the response from Government will be very simple - ‘so be it’. We are in a very privileged position and we need to be very, very respectful of the privilege the Government has given our industry. We need to understand that there are other businesses that do not have this privilege. We need to be respectful and mindful of those other businesses and think about how they are feeling. In Marlborough it is perhaps more critical than anywhere else in the county. The wine industry is a dominant economic force in Marlborough and there is great responsibility on the industry to be seen to be doing the right thing - and the right thing is stopping the spread of the virus. In Marlborough there is heightened risk and heightened sensitivity.

As an industry we are all in this together. An individual business - if it is not compliant - can not only expect to be shut down by the authorities, it may cause the rest of the industry to be shut down. There is a huge responsibility on every single business in the industry to make sure we are compliant; to make sure we do not spread the virus. If you cannot do that then you have to stop operating right now. “In Marlborough there is heightened risk and heightened sensitivity.”

For updated information on Covid-19 and the wine industry, check the Covid-19 pages on the nzwine.com site. It has information on the Government’s business support packages, the current situation, practical advice for vineyards and wineries, and Q&As, with information updated as it becomes available