April 9, 2025

Pioneering Marlborough photographer and winemaker Kevin Judd is a Marlborough Living Cultural Treasure.

Mr Judd is the 2025 recipient of the award, open to nominations of individuals who have made an extraordinary, inspiring and significant contribution to cultural endeavour in Marlborough throughout their lifetime.

Receiving the prestigious title at a ceremony this evening at Te Kahu o Waipuna – Marlborough Library and Art Gallery - in Blenheim, Mr Judd said he was thrilled to be the twelfth recipient of the award and humbled to be included in such a list of prominent Marlborough artists.

“My interest in photography has evolved during my years in Marlborough, initially focusing on the spectacular vineyard landscapes and more recently on the stunning natural beauty of Marlborough’s mountains, the dramatic coastal terrain and the precious bird life that inhabits it. It’s an absolute pleasure to be able to share my images and I hope that they help generate a deeper appreciation of Marlborough,” he said.

Mayor Nadine Taylor said the Marlborough Living Cultural Treasure Award provided a special opportunity to acknowledge worthy Marlburians for their exemplary service to the arts, culture and creative sectors.

“The selection panel chose Kevin in recognition of his remarkable achievements in photography. His incredible and evocative images have been featured in numerous publications worldwide and capture beautifully the landscapes of New Zealand’s wine regions including Marlborough,” she said. “Kevin joins a selected and inspiring group of Treasures who have made a significant contribution to Marlborough’s cultural landscape over the course of their lifetime.”

Marlborough’s Toni Gillan, who was instrumental in establishing the award, said if there was ever a name synonymous with capturing the essence of Marlborough’s unique and varied landscapes it had to be Kevin Judd.

“As his nomination said, Kevin’s commitment to Marlborough is well worthy of recognition. Apart from his internationally renowned winemaking skills, he is also a recognised landscape specialist photographer celebrated for his decades of exceptional heart and art, man and nature photographic images of landscapes, vineyards and grapes especially in the Marlborough region,” Mrs Gillan said. “Kevin's recording and sharing of the changes in nature and our landscape is a treasured archival work in progress which, as a digital record will be with Marlburians for ever.”

One of his early images of the Richmond Ranges, used on a Cloudy Bay wine label as a silhouette, helped establish Marlborough and Cloudy Bay as an iconic worldwide brand with the associated rise of the global profile of New Zealand wine, particularly Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

Marlborough Art Gallery Director Cressida Bishop said Kevin had parallel international careers in winemaking and photography.

“During the 1990s and 2000s Kevin’s name became synonymous with wine related imagery, especially landscape photography of the New Zealand wine industry. His images appeared in countless publications around the world. A suite of large-scale photographs from Kevin’s The Colour of Wine book was the opening show at our former premises, the Millennium Public Art Gallery in December 1999. We are looking forward to hosting his next exhibition at the recently opened Marlborough Art Gallery in Te Kahu o Waipuna,” she said.

The Marlborough Living Cultural Treasure Award was established in 2012 by Marlborough Museum in partnership with Council and the Marlborough Express. In 2023, the Marlborough Heritage Trust closed its operations and in early 2024 Council took on guardianship of the award. This is the first bestowed under Council.

Previous Marlborough Living Cultural Treasure Award recipients include master weaver and fibre artist Peg Moorhouse, ceramic artist Fran Maguire, kapa haka teacher Nan Kahu Chadwick, composer and conductor Kevin Moseley, weaver Kairaranga Kaiako Margaret Bond, artists Clem Mellish, Triska Blumenfield and J S Parker, author Dame Joy Cowley and director and producer Duncan Whiting.

The award is given once every three years.

About Kevin Judd

Kevin was born in England and grew up in Australia, where he studied winemaking at Roseworthy College and first made wine at Reynella in South Australia. He moved to New Zealand in 1983 and joined Selaks Wines. Subsequently, he became the founding winemaker at Cloudy Bay, a pivotal role during which he directed the company’s first 25 vintages. In 2009 he established his own label, Greywacke, named after New Zealand’s prolific bedrock. Alongside winemaking, Kevin has developed a parallel career in photography. For over three decades his evocative images have appeared in countless publications worldwide. His first book was The Colour of Wine (1999), a photographic essay on the vineyards of Marlborough. His second book - The Landscape of New Zealand Wine (2009) - is one of the most impressive collections of New Zealand wine landscape images ever assembled and an eloquent portrayal of a unique and varied landscape that produces some of the finest wine in the world. Kevin and Kimberley live in the Omaka Valley overlooking Marlborough’s picturesque vineyards, the inspiration for both his passions.

© Scoop Media