Diplomatic Incident
OPINION: Your old mate hears an international incident is threatening to blow up the long-standing Anzac alliance as Kiwis and Aussies argue over who wants new Australian resident and former NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
David Hohnen who founded Cape Mentelle in the Margaret River region, was also the man behind Marlborough’s Cloudy Bay. In June he received Australia’s highest honour when he was made a member of the Order of Australia for his services to the Australian wine industry and as a promoter of the Margaret River region.
There was no mention in his honour of just how much he did for the New Zealand wine industry, in particular, Marlborough. But that’s okay, for once New Zealand can borrow an Australian icon and claim them for their own.
Hohnen was honoured by the New Zealand wine industry back in 2006 when he was included in the New Zealand Winemakers Hall of Fame.
In an email to former NZ Winegrower editor Terry Dunleavy, he said; “It’s an honour that ranks with my AM today. My involvement with Cloudy Bay gave me the profile and gravitas, for want of a better word, to get out there and do something for Margaret River.”
So huge congrats David.
