2024 YoungTEC Board members
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Check out this fab video of the 2022 Board members
Amanda Linklater – Grow Tourism
Based in Queenstown, Amanda’s tourism journey began when she travelled extensively throughout Europe and Asia. On her return to New Zealand, she studied Hospitality Management and then secured a graduate placement with the Accor Hotel Group. Amanda remained in the accommodation sector for more than eight years, across various hotels and multiple roles. Following a move to NZ’s tourism capital, Queenstown, Amanda also discovered her passion for the fast-paced and exciting adventure tourism industry, and she became a hiking guide for Active Adventures. She then quickly moved from ‘guide life’ into the Active Adventures Operations Team where she now uses her skills and experience to enhance the already epic training & culture programmes. A strong advocate for physical and mental health and safety, Amanda also implements and maintains strong health and safety programmes for Active’s guides throughout New Zealand, South America, Himalayas, Europe and Africa. New to the board in 2021, Amanda is looking forward to representing inbound tourism and readying the sector for a strong post-Covid rebound.
Ryan Wilmshurst – Maverick Digital
Ryan’s tourism career began in Te Whanganui-a-Tara/Wellington, where he studied a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing and a Bachelor of Tourism Management at Victoria University, graduating in 2018. After a summer volunteering as a City Ambassador, his first frontline role was as a Customer Service Consultant at Wellington i-SITE – welcoming visitors to the city and providing them with travel advice and bookings. From there, he moved to the WellingtonNZ RTO head office, with varied roles such as Tourism Trade Assistant, Marketing Coordinator and working his way up to a Campaign Manager position, delivering high-impact content and campaigns for the region’s tourism, hospitality, and retail sectors.
In 2021, he relocated to Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland and joined thl as their Campaign & Partnerships Manager, before beginning his current position as Marketing Specialist at Maverick Digital. Here, he thrives on collaborating with tourism operators across the motu – enhancing their brand storytelling, social content, and digital presence to best meet the needs of visitors.
The role that tourism plays in enriching communities and bringing together kaimahi/hosts and manuhiri/visitors is a big passion of Ryan’s. He’s also enthusiastic about reshaping perceptions of tourism as a career, which has led him to giving presentations at Victoria University’s tourism school’s open days, and previous mentoring roles. Having spent a year as an Auckland regional representative, Ryan is excited to join the Board and play an even bigger part in growing the way YoungTEC nurtures and upskills the next generation of tourism talent.
Eleri Williams – Haka Educational Tours
Originally from Wales, Eleri fell in love with New Zealand after studying here as an international student in 2008. Her tourism journey started with organising University Ski Trips which then led into Guiding in the French Alps. Following her passion for snow and youth travel she transitioned into an Operations Role for UKs biggest student tour company before returning to NZ in 2012.
Over the last 10 years Eleri spent 4 years in Queenstown building her experience and skill set across sales, product, operations and management with Educating Adventures. In 2015 Eleri joined forces with Haka Tourism Group as Co-Founder of Haka Educational Tours and has scaled the business from start up to an award winning, global, mission led brand.
With a strong belief that tourism is a vehicle for growth, development, and positive impact Eleri is deeply passionate about opportunities that tourism can provide. Representing inbound tourism, Eleri is all too familiar with the value of this sector as well as experiencing firsthand challenges faced.
Narissa Phipps – First Light Travel
Upon completion of her Psychology degree in the UK, Narissa embarked on a round the world trip landing in New Zealand for the first time in 2014. Falling in love with the endless natural beauty and kiwi culture she now proudly calls New Zealand home.
Narissa joined the inbound industry in 2016 as a New Zealand Travel Specialist and instantly got hooked. Having worked her way up to be a Team Leader, Manager and now CEO, she is living proof of the awesome growth opportunities that the industry has to offer.
New to the YoungTEC Board in 2023, Narissa is excited to combine her passion for the industry and helping young people grow.
Emma Canute – Wētā Workshop
Emma Canute is the Sales Manager of Tourism at Wētā Workshop, representing both their Auckland and Wellington attractions. A proud member of Aotearoa’s Tourism Industry for almost 12 years, with over a decade spent at GO Rentals. Over the course of her career, she’s dedicated herself to the Trade sector, building market and industry knowledge surrounding processes, account management, brand awareness, networks and supply chains. She recognised early on the importance of building strong and mutually beneficial relationships.
2023 was a pivotal year for her career-wise. She had the privilege and pleasure to travel abroad to several different countries, selling and promoting Wētā Workshop and Aotearoa to the world. She was successful in winning the YoungTEC’s 2023 Emerging Leader Award and was selected for the NA Capes Japan/Korea Study tour. Emma notes that “It is important to me to be able to share my knowledge. I have a vast skillset and wish to utilise my expertise to make a difference in the industry. The idea of being able to collaborate on the board is genuinely exciting. I bring passion, inspiration and energy, an understanding of market trends and a wide inventory of knowledge.”
Emma has been part of YoungTEC since 2018 and was elected as a Board member in 2024.
Amy Gibson – WellingtonNZ
Amy grew up in the UK and New Zealand was a regular topic of conversation in her household. Her father is a Kiwi and they would regularly travel “home” to visit family and friends. Amy fell in love with the country and moved here permanently in 2019. In many ways, the tourism industry was her introduction to the people, culture and stories of Aotearoa.
Her first tourism role in New Zealand was at Wētā Workshop and covered customer service, group and event bookings and trade sales.
In 2023, she joined the communications and media team at WellingtonNZ to further her industry skills. “I’m still telling stories to visitors, but also taking a more strategic approach to promoting the benefits of tourism. One day I hope to start my own tour company.”
YoungTEC was instrumental to Amy finding her feet in the industry. She’s been an active member of YoungTEC since 2019 and has a deep appreciation the role it plays in supporting the next generation of tourism talent.
Amy’s experience as someone who has been a tourist, and now a local working in the tourism industry, gives her a unique insight into the needs of both the consumer and the supplier. She’s passionate about driving both perspectives.
Elected in 2024 as YoungTEC Board member, her focus is on building confidence in young professionals, encouraging them to take advantage of the support available and assist them to form lasting career connections.
Sonny Mckenzie – Hobbiton
Sonny learned from an early age the value of cultural diversity and the boundless opportunities that await those who embrace the unknown.
For nearly a decade, Sonny has called Hobbiton home, weaving tales of Middle-earth’s enchanting landscapes and guiding eager visitors through the Shire. It’s here, that Sonny’s passion for meeting and interacting with people has flourished. From sharing experiences with curious traveller’s to coordinating seamless experiences for guests from around the globe, Sonny has found joy in every interaction, building connections that transcend multiple languages and cultures.
In the last 18 months, Sonny’s role has evolved into that of a Tour Operation Coordinator, where he works as part of a team that aims to ensure each visitor’s journey through Hobbiton is nothing short of magical and memorable. Sonny’s desire to share his wealth of knowledge and experience with the next generation of tourism leaders has helped him with mentoring and educating. Whether through workshops, seminars, or hands-on training, Sonny hopes to inspire and encourage people and given them the tools they need to succeed in an ever-evolving industry.
As part of his tourism career. He previously worked with Southern Discoveries, showcasing the awe-inspiring beauty of Milford Sound, offering a glimpse into a different aspect of the tourism industry, further enriching his understanding of the diverse landscapes and experiences that our backyard has to offer.
Additionally, Sonny had the privilege of being part of the North Asia Cape Japan and South Korea Study Tour, where he travelled with five other emerging tourism leaders to learn, explore and forge lasting connections.
Sonny is excited for the year ahead and what it holds and can’t wait to share more of his passion and stories in the future to come.