Staff Members

Having grown up in business with her parents in the Hawke’s Bay and then owning businesses, Pania understands intimately both the pains and passion of a 24 hour personal and financial commitment. Fast forward to the mid 90’s she moved on to local and central government where she gained an appreciation of the important role that policy plays in our every day lives.

Pania has used all that she has learned over the years (and continues to learn) to position NZ Māori Tourism as a key contributor, participant and influencer within the tourism industry today.

Married to Evan (Te Roroa), between them they have 8 children and live in Wellington splitting their downtime between Mahia and Northland.

The next big job is to work through the leveraging opportunities that exist between international trade, tourism and investment.

Whitiaua’s expertise in te ao Māori has been instilled in him from before he was born. Growing up in a home where only reo Māori was spoken, he attended Kōhanga Reo, Kura Kaupapa and Whare Wānanga before becoming Head boy of Hato Pāora College and winning both the Manu Kōrero National Speech Competition (Pei Te Hurinui) and the Māori Women’s Welfare League National Speech Competition.

Whitiaua was also an adept sportsman in his heyday, representing New Zealand in three codes (Rugby Union, Rugby League, Touch Rugby) as well as being a national Coach and Selector for NZ Touch.

If all that wasn’t enough, he has also been a Reo Māori Teacher at Hato Paora College, Head of High-Performance Sport at Tū Toa Sports Academy and Hauora teacher at Te Kura Kaupapa o Horouta Wānanga.

When he’s not occupied with mahi, Whitiaua splits his time between sports, te ao Māori and keeping tabs on his tamariki.

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After initially starting in events and marketing, Matt's time at TIA finished in the advocacy and engagement space where he built strong connections both on the ground and amongst industry influencers – relationships he looks to build on in his role.

Matt's leisurely time is taken up mostly by his whānau, but among his other commitments is being Chair of Hoe Tonga Pacifica Waka Ama Association and keeping a watchful eye on the Sydney Roosters.

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Lee enjoys playing indoor netball and puts her skills to use by proudly coaching the Wainuiomata High School Premier netball team.  When the weather is nice, you will find Lee and her husband, Craig, walking the Wainuiomata firebreaks or the Wainuiomata Hill.

The pair have just passed level four in their Reo Māori classes at Te Wananga o Aotearoa. They have five children and three mokopuna.

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Much of Sasha’s career has been spent in the secretary space following her first “real job” at The Body Shop out of school. In fact, it was only upon moving to London that she fell into her line of work and discovered a deep passion for working with people and ensuring they’re prepared for whatever is thrown at them.

Sasha also enjoys the challenge of learning different people’s needs and adjusting on the fly – skills she credits her four tamariki for helping develop and continually testing.

Enthusiastic about the outdoors, she and her partner, Allan, try and get their clan immersed in nature when they can. Preferably doing something that tires their kids out!

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Prior to settling into your typical 9 to 5 job, the former Silver Fern and current National Selector was occupying benches as a coach for various professional netball sides. Amongst the highlights of Gail’s career was qualifying the Scotland national netball team (The Scottish Thistles) to two Netball World Cups and two Commonwealth Games.

Gail spent six years in Glasgow revamping their set-up which saw the Thistles jump from 13th to 8th in the world rankings. She also completed a Masters in the Science of Performance Coaching at the University of Stirling alongside her coaching.

At the end of 2019, Gail and her whānau decided to call time on their stay in the UK and returned to Aotearoa. The move allowed her daughter, Alexi, to stay settled for high school as well as getting them closer to their loved ones.

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She has returned to NZMT after a short stint at Callaghan Innovation, with a new skillset, ready to apply that to her role as relationships lead.

Harmony has previously been involved in various iwi sports kaupapa such as basketball and surfing. In her spare time, she enjoys playing sport and spending time with her whānau.

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His expertise supports NZ Māori Tourism in assessing global and domestic trends through an economic perspective, ensuring the organisation remains responsive to emerging challenges and opportunities in the tourism sector. 

He is an economics graduate from Victoria University of Wellington, with his most recent experience in the banking sector.

Email Vinny