Who We Are

Tourism New Zealand is a Crown Entity governed by Board members who are appointed by the Minister of Tourism. Tourism New Zealand's Executive Leadership Team is responsible for the organisation's business operations and overseas activities in our international markets.

For contact details, please see Our Offices .

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New Zealand Tourism Board Members open

	Kerry Prendergast - Chair Kerry Prendergast was appointed as Chair of the New Zealand Tourism Board on 15 August 2011 for a three-year term. She is the former Mayor of Wellington and former Vice-President of Local Government New Zealand. She holds an MBA specialising in Marketing and Strategy. Kerry is currently Chair of the Environmental Protection Authority, the New Zealand International Arts Festival Trust, and also the Wellington Jazz Music Festival Trust. She is also a Director of Kirkcaldie & Stains and is a Trustee of the New Zealand Community Trust.
	Malcolm Johns - Deputy Chair Malcolm is Chief Executive of Intercity Group (NZ) Limited, parent company of InterCity and Newmans Coach Lines, Great Sights, Fullers Bay of Islands, Kings Dolphin Cruises and Eco Tours. Malcolm has extensive commercial experience having held senior roles with Discover Canada Holidays, Jasons Travel Media, Tourism Holdings and Hyatt International Hotels and Resorts. Malcolm was reappointed to the New Zealand Tourism Board on 8 October 2010 for a second three-year term.
	Henry van Asch Henry van Asch was a co-founder of AJ Hackett Bungy with business partner AJ Hackett before founding Bungy New Zealand in 1997, where he remains a director. Henry oversees ownership and operation of the Bungy New Zealand Group (which includes AJ Hackett Bungy and Auckland Bungy & Bridge Climb) along with his latest ventures: the High Plains Wine Co and The Winehouse & Kitchen Restaurant. In August 2012 Henry was appointed to a further term which expires in April 2014.
	Jenn Bestwick Jenn Bestwick's professional career has been largely in strategy and business development having worked extensively in both the public and private sectors. Jenn has recently been working with Local Authorities, Iwi and the primary and hydro-generation sectors on fresh water management in the Canterbury region. Jenn is the current Chair of Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology and board member of New Zealand Qualifications Authority, Southern Response Earthquake Services Limited and the Canterbury Employment Skills Board of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority. Jenn was appointed to the New Zealand Tourism Board on 7 August 2012 for a three-year term.
	Jennie Langley Jennie Langley was appointed Independent Chair of the New Zealand Hotel Council (NZHC) in 2007, after four years as Chief Executive Officer. She is a director of her consultancy company, J L Associates Ltd, and a member of the Biosecurity Ministerial Advisory Committee. Jennie has previously held roles as a director of Positively Wellington Tourism, the New Zealand Wool Board, Opus International Consultants and has served as a local government councillor in Hawke's Bay. In August 2012 Jennie was appointed to a further term which expires in April 2014.
	Richard Leggat Richard has a varied background across business, marketing and e-commerce. He is currently employed in a sales and marketing role for a leading provider of e-commerce solutions. Richard is the chairman at BikeNZ, the organisation that supports the development of cycling in New Zealand and is on the Board of New Zealand Post and Education NZ. He is also a founding committee member of the Eating Disorder Association of New Zealand. Richard was appointed to the New Zealand Tourism Board on 1 February 2010 for a three-year term.
	John Thorburn John is Chief Executive of Ngāi Tahu Tourism, which owns and operates a wide range of adventure and eco-tourism activities across New Zealand including well-known experiences such as Shotover Jet, Rainbow Springs Kiwi Wildlife Park and Franz Josef Glacier Guides. He has previously held senior positions in a range of industries, including manufacturing, marketing and telecommunications. John also holds Board positions with the New Zealand Tourism Industry Association and the New Zealand Conservation Authority. John was appointed to the New Zealand Tourism Board on 7 August 2012 for a three-year term.
	Jamie Tuuta Jamie is currently the CEO of the Maori Trustee. He is Ngāti Mutunga, Ngati Tama, Ngati Maru, Te Ati Awa and Taranaki Iwi. He has held a range of governance positions in the health, iwi development, fishing, agribusiness and investment sectors. He is currently a director of Aotearoa Fisheries Ltd, Te Ohu Kaimoana Trustee Ltd and Wools of New Zealand. He is the former chairman of Parininihi ki Waitotara Incorporation - a Taranaki based Maori agribusiness organisation. Jamie is a recipient of the Sir Peter Blake Emerging Leadership Award.
Leah McDonald Leah McDonald is Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive and Board Secretary. Contact Leah in the first instance to get in touch with any of Tourism New Zealand's Board Members.

Executive Leadership Team open

	Kevin Bowler, Chief Executive Kevin Bowler joined Tourism New Zealand as Chief Executive in January 2010. He has marketing and business leadership experience spanning consumer packaged goods, technology, and media brands in New Zealand and internationally. Most recently Kevin was inaugural CEO for start-up Yahoo!Xtra, a joint venture between Yahoo!7 and Telecom New Zealand. Prior to that Kevin held a number of leadership roles with Telecom New Zealand including heading marketing across all products for the consumer business. He also has extensive packaged goods marketing experience in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Now he leads Tourism New Zealand, the government agency charged with growing the value of international visitors to New Zealand through its 11 offices around the world. He is also a member of the Tourism Industry Association.
	Gregg Anderson, General Manager Western Long Haul Markets Gregg Anderson oversees Tourism New Zealand's strategy and activities in the Western long haul markets of North America and Europe. His teams, which are based in London and Los Angeles, deliver trade marketing, consumer marketing and international PR activities in selected countries within these two key long-haul regions. Gregg has spent over 17 years in regional management and marketing roles in Tourism New Zealand offices in London, Los Angeles and Sydney. Prior to moving offshore Gregg spent time in marketing and research roles with NZ Post and Otago University.
	Catherine Bates, General Manager Brand and International PR Catherine is responsible for the integration of Tourism New Zealand's brand, marketing research, events, and international media teams, and has responsibility for the consumer travel website www.newzealand.com. In 2012 Catherine was appointed project lead on the New Zealand Country Story; a project with an objective to deliver a shared story about New Zealand that helps to communicate the country's distinct and unique attributes to international audiences around the world. She has been with Tourism New Zealand for 18 years in varying roles including overseeing the '100% Pure New Zealand' campaign. Graduating from Massey University in 1994, she has a BBS Hons majoring in Management and DBS majoring in Business Communication.
	Tim Burgess, General Manager Australia Tim Burgess oversees Tourism New Zealand's strategy and activities in Australia. His team delivers trade marketing, consumer marketing and international PR activities in this market. Tim joins Tourism New Zealand from Tourism Bay of Plenty where, for the last five years, he has been General Manager. With a strong background in international media and international media events planning, Tim returns to Tourism New Zealand having worked with the organisation as its Media Planning Manager from 2000 to 2005.
	Tony Everitt, General Manager Asian Markets Tony Everitt is responsible for the leadership and management of Tourism New Zealand's Asian operations, with particular focus on working alongside the Asian travel trade and strategic partners. His team delivers trade marketing, consumer marketing and international PR activities in these markets. Tony brings to the organisation a vast wealth of tourism knowledge and experience. Tony has an extensive career in tourism including previous senior management roles at Tourism New Zealand and most recently as the Chief Executive of Destination Queenstown. During his time with Tourism New Zealand, he managed the Japan activities from the offices in Tokyo and Osaka and led the global marketing operations for two years from the head office in Wellington.
	Sue Parcell, General Manager Finance and IT Sue Parcell is responsible for managing and leading the financial and accounting functions of Tourism New Zealand, while also managing our IT infrastructure. She also oversees the strategic planning and reporting function. Sue has had considerable experience in the tourism industry and this includes senior finance and general management roles. Prior to this she worked in finance roles in business services in New Zealand and overseas.
	Chris Roberts, General Manager Corporate Affairs Chris Roberts joined Tourism New Zealand in July 2012 and oversees the relationships with our key New Zealand stakeholders, including Ministers, government agencies, media and the New Zealand tourism industry. Reporting to Chris are two very capable teams covering communications and industry relations. Chris began his career as a broadcast journalist before working at Parliament - including three years with the Minister of Tourism - which was followed by management roles in the energy sector before joining Tourism New Zealand.
	Rose Tua, General Manager Human Resources Rose Tua is responsible for developing and implementing Tourism New Zealand's human resources management strategy to ensure that the leadership and management of all elements of the employee lifecycle is aligned to our organisation's direction. This includes recruitment, capability development and talent management, performance management, remuneration and rewards initiatives for staff based in New Zealand and our international offices. Rose joins Tourism New Zealand from senior HR and leadership roles at AXA New Zealand where she has been since 2008. Rose has an extensive and successful human resources management career which has included a variety of HR leadership roles across financial services, telecommunication, higher education, and health services in NZ and the UK.
	Justin Watson, General Manager Marketing Communications Justin Watson manages the most visible aspect of the 100% Pure New Zealand marketing campaign: our consumer marketing and advertising activity. This includes overseeing the creative development, planning, researching and implementation of our campaign and advertising activity across Tourism New Zealand's key markets. Justin also oversees Tourism New Zealand's business development activities which include trade marketing, conferences and incentives, cruise and airline partnerships. With an extensive and successful marketing career spanning the last 13 years, Justin has sound strategic marketing and management experience and a demonstrated track record of successfully achieving marketing and business outcomes.