About Me

I have been at the forefront of Aotearoa New Zealand’s destination stewardship journey for more than a decade.

My work has spanned central and local government, Regional Tourism Organisations, Economic Development Agencies and communities across the country. I have worked with small towns developing their first visitor strategies and with national teams shaping coordinated, whole-of-system change.

I designed New Zealand’s national Destination Management Guidelines and supported all 29 regions to develop their Destination Management Plans. I also led Te Ūnga Mai, an award-winning capability programme that strengthened the confidence and leadership of every RTO in the country as they stepped into their stewardship role.

Internationally, I have shared New Zealand’s approach with the OECD Tourism Committee and at tourism forums in Europe, North and South America and across the Pacific. My work is often referenced as an example of coordinated, capability-led destination management in practice.

This work is both professional and personal.

I care deeply about this sector. I have seen tourism create pride, opportunity and connection for communities. I have also seen the complexity it brings, infrastructure demands, competing priorities and difficult trade-offs.

I am driven by a belief that tourism performs best when leadership is clear, governance is strong and decisions are aligned with the long-term interests of place.

I am known for turning complexity into clarity, connecting strategy to delivery and helping leaders understand the system they are part of and the influence they have within it.

Much of my work centres on building capability and confidence in others: supporting councils to integrate tourism into core planning, enabling destination organisations to lead stewardship effectively, mentoring executives navigating complexity and bringing diverse stakeholders together around shared priorities.

At its best, tourism strengthens community wellbeing, environmental care, cultural expression and economic resilience. Achieving this requires leadership, governance and a deliberate systems approach.

If this resonates, I would welcome the conversation.