From Disney to Tourism Career Advisor

I am the Upper North Island Regional Coordinator for Go with Tourism. I spend a lot of my time driving to incredible places around the Upper North Island, presenting to youth and jobseekers about career opportunities in tourism and hospitality. I could be in a classroom one day, at a careers expo the next; helping youth into mentorships or work experience, creating learning resources or generally expanding my network. There's so much variety.

Helping people find jobs in tourism. I actually helped two of my team members get into the Go with Tourism team.

When I was younger, I saw the New Zealand School of Tourism ad on TV. They were saying that if you study there you could potentially get a job at Disney World and I was like “why not”?! I’m a huge Harry Potter nerd and I knew that Universal Studios – with Harry Potter World – was down the road, so that was my motivation. I studied at NZST for a year and a half, landed my job at Disney World as a merchandiser and got to go to Harry Potter World!

Disney is the highlight of my tourism career; but I used to be a tour guide at the Hobbiton Movie Set and there was a variety of famous people that came through! One of them was Harrison Ford.

People that I’ve met through my tourism roles over the past ten years have become some of my closest friends and I’m very lucky to have them in my life.

I’m very nerdy so I’d love to open a nerdy Air BnB – Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings themed. The possibilities are endless.

Choose tourism because one day you can be a bartender and the next you can be owning your own winery on Waiheke Island.