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Sarah Meikle – Inducted 2020
Friday, 30 October 2020
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Marsden Years: 1987 – 1993 (Year 7 - Year 13) This award recognises Sarah Meikle’s contribution to New Zealand’s culinary industry internationally, nationally and most importantly, locally. Sarah is the CEO of Wellington Culinary Trust Events and the Festival Director of Visa Wellington On a Plate – which leads her to be Events Director of other local festivals such as Beervana and Highball. She was born into an entrepreneurial family, which grew into a culinary one; her grandfather owned the James Cook Hotel and her father, several well-known Wellington restaurants and bars. Driven by a love of travel and food, on leaving school Sarah went to Massey University - the only place you could study tourism in the 1990s. This was followed by a fast moving career at the New Zealand Tourism Board with many travel miles and experiences selling New Zealand to exotic regions like India, South America and the Middle East. As a regional Marketing Manager for the Board her projects included the America’s Cup in Valencia, the Chelsea Flower Show and the giant rugby ball under the Eiffel tower. Returning to New Zealand she focused on Wellington and became part of the Positively Wellington Tourism marketing agency which led to the creation of Visa Wellington Ona Plate following her culinary passion. Sarah is also the Deputy Chairperson of Yachting New Zealand, a Director of Palliser Estate Wines of New Zealand and an Executive Member of the food collective, Eat New Zealand. She has spoken at conferences around the world sharing her ideas on the role that food plays in a country’s food story and brand. She was a finalist in the 2019 Women of Influence Awards. Visa Wellington On a Plate brings people to our city to enjoy not only the food but also its vitality, culture and environment. The collaboration of producers, consumers and the hospitality industry driven by the new and innovative ideas of Sarah and her team give Wellington a ‘year round’ focus on food and beverage providers. Known as a dedicated worker, Sarah recognises the importance of work life balance and encourages this in her staff – while work is important, so too is health and wellbeing. Goal setting and leadership are amongst her steps to success. “A good leader surrounds themselves with great people and together they achieve wonderful things” 1 http://women.govt.nz/inspiring-women/10-questions-sarah-meikle Cited 31/7/2018 |