TIA Team

What do you do at TIA?
My role leads membership services, advocacy, policy and sustainability for TIA and is integral to ensuring we are delivering impact for our members and the industry.

What's your career background?
I have a background in marketing and market research along with developing the value propositions and service experience for different market segments. I then expanded my career to include corporate communications and stakeholder engagement. I’ve worked for significant New Zealand brands including Wellington Airport, Telecom, NZ Post and Outward Bound.

What do you do for fun?
My family would say that I spend a considerable amount of time on the water. I was one of the first people to do wingfoiling in the country and I also surf foil and windsurf. I also like skiing and mountain biking – pretty much anything outdoors that NZ has to offer.

What’s one thing every visitor to New Zealand should do?
This is a tough one but I’ll go with the place I love to holiday the most which is Wainui Beach in Tairawhiti Gisborne and then most recently we were on the West Coast of the South Island near Punakaiki which has both an amazing coastline and the Paparoa National Park.  

What do you do at TIA?
I look after TIA’s finances, IT platforms and provide a range of business support services to the rest of the TIA team.

What's your career background?
My background before joining TIA included running a tourism business in the Cook Islands and a law firm in Nelson.

What do you do for fun?
My passion is golf followed closely by travel and wining and dining. Often all three at once!

What is your NZ hidden gem?
The Motueka Golf Course – it’s been named NZ golf course of the year.

What do you do at TIA?
I provide HR and recruitment support to the TIA team.

What's your career background?
I studied HR at Victoria University and have a generalist HR advisory background working across all things people and culture! I started out working in the Public Sector in Wellington before heading on my O.E where I worked for a utility company in the UK. Since my return home to Aotearoa, I’ve worked with smaller organisations in the transport and sports industries. I am passionate about workplace culture, continuous improvement and diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility.

What do you do for fun?
I love to get out for a walk most days and listen to a good podcast or audiobook, I also enjoy yoga and have recently learned to sew. My other loves include travelling and good food so you will often catch me planning/dreaming about my next trip or trying out a new restaurant or recipe!

Do you have any pets or fur babies?
I have two rescue cats – Luna and Poppy! They are super snuggly and affectionate and I love watching what they get up to. They aren’t related but had the same foster family a year apart and act like real sisters!

What do you do at TIA?  
I am Chief Advisor, Strategy and Policy at TIA. I really enjoy contributing to TIA’s work to cut a strong future for the tourism industry. Highlights for me include the progressive updating of the industry strategy framework and the Tourism Sustainability Commitment which is going from strength to strength as the need for tourism to be operating sustainably gets ever-stronger.      

What's your career background? 
Much of my career has been in the government policy space, with a long spell on tourism policy. Putting this experience to good use from an industry perspective is another part of my role that I certainly enjoy.   

What do you do for fun?  
Wining and dining, a good competitive hand of cards or backgammon, and getting out on the south coast for a good long wheel in the wild Wellington wind.  

What do you do at TIA?
I’m a sustainability advocate – working to make tourism in NZ more sustainable. As well as considering environmental factors and reducing the carbon footprint of the sector, I also factor in the needs of our local communities, the visitors themselves and economic sustainability too.

What's your career background?
Most recently I was the destination manager for Te Tauihu (Nelson Tasman). I’ve also worked in regional wine marketing and for over a decade I ran my own business which was focussed on teaching a range of languages to children throughout New Zealand and Australia.

What do you do for fun?
I love to explore our national parks on foot, kayaks or bikes. Nelson Lakes National Park is my favourite for its wonderful (but often under-appreciated) mountains, freezing lakes and awesome mountain bike trails.

Do you have any pets or fur babies?
I have an elderly cat and a sweet young pup who I try to talk to in te reo. She gets “E kai” right every time, “E noho” and “E hikoi” are pretty good but “Hāere mai” needs a bit more training.

What do you do at TIA?
As the Member Advocate I work at the front line of TIA, dealing with members (mainly tourism businesses and service providers), identifying and facilitating solutions for members issues, and supplying information and advice. 

What's your career background?
My background in Tourism began when I studied for my bachelor’s degree in Tourism Management at Lincoln University. Since then, I have worked in Education and Sports Travel and for Air New Zealand where I held various positions in sales. More recently I was the Business Development Executive for Go with Tourism. In this role I developed key partnerships with RTO’s and Tourism and Hospitality businesses throughout NZ to help maximise Go With Tourism’s impact.

What do you do for fun?
In my spare time I like to (try) play golf, catch up with friends over some delicious food and walk along Takapuna beach on a sunny day. I also love to travel and explore new destinations and cultures around the world.

What’s your favourite place in New Zealand?
My favourite part of New Zealand is the West Coast of the South Island. Totally biased as I was born and raised in Greymouth! The rugged coastline is spectacular on a sunny or even a stormy day and you obviously can’t beat a West Coast sunset.

What do you do at TIA?
I help plan and coordinate all things events for TIA! This can range from member webinars, the Tourism Summit and Awards and then TRENZ which is New Zealand’s biggest annual business-to-business travel and trade event.

What's your career background?
Prior to joining TIA, I was a Member Services Coordinator at the New Zealand Law Society l Te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa where my main responsibility was in facilitating and organising member events and seminars. Before this, I spent some time abroad in London doing my OE and travelling around Europe.

What do you do for fun?
In my spare time you will find me either on the Netball court (GA 😊) or eating my way around Wellington! Brunch is my favourite meal of the day so love to check out new cafes in the city.

If you could be on any reality TV show, what would it be?
The Block – me and my partner are keen (amateur) renovators and helped do up the parents' house in the past! He doesn’t think I have it in me and will give up in week one but I’m always up to a challenge to prove him wrong.

What do you do at TIA?
I manage TRENZ, New Zealand’s largest international tourism business event and most important event of the year on the tourism events calendar. 

What's your career background?
Prior to TIA I was a senior marketer at the Institute of Directors, and before that I was the communications and events coordinator at the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants. 

What do you do for fun?
I enjoy spending time with family, reading and gardening and I'm involved with the local football club. 

What's one thing you're doing in pursuit of sustainability? 
I've switched to a sustainable gin!