Our Team

Founder & Owner

Rēnata’s family has been telling stories for over 200 years as the original pioneers of tourism in New Zealand. A New Zealander of Māori heritage, his hometown of Rotorua is often described as the cultural capital of the country.

With over 15 years of travel trade experience including leadership roles at a major US wholesaler and working with organizations such as the New Zealand Maori Arts & Crafts Institute and the New Zealand Tourism Board, where he worked on delivering Tuku Iho - A living Legacy exhibition which featured at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. Rēnata holds a Bachelor of laws from the University of Waikato and is admitted to the bar as a Barrister & Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand.

Director of Communications

Gabrielle is an award-winning creative communications professional specializing in travel, hospitality and lifestyle public relations. With over a decade of experience, she is skilled in many areas of communications, especially in media relations, writing and event planning. At Victoria King Public Relations she worked with a number of clients to achieve their public relations goals including The Brando, Robertson Lodges, Laucala Island and CuisinArt Golf Resort & Spa. In her roles at Tourism New Zealand's Los Angeles office, she worked on many high-profile film and television destination PR campaigns working with the ABC series The Bachelor, the NBC series The Biggest Loser and feature films Disney's Pete's Dragon and The Hobbit trilogy.

Director of Strategic Partnerships

Stephen is an accomplished travel and tourism professional with 20 years of commercial experience in private and public sector multi-national travel companies. Stephen has held leadership positions including as General Manager of New Zealand’s largest Destination Management Company and more recently as President of a major US tour operator serving the South Pacific. Stephen presently serves as consultant and advisor with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise where he supports New Zealand companies and entrepreneurs in growing productively and sustainably in the North American market.

Hailing originally from the United Kingdom Stephen resides in California for the last 10 years after obtaining a Green Card granted for individuals of extraordinary ability in their field (classification of tourism marketing).

Director of Incentive & Corporate

Alexa is a seasoned international business events, incentive and corporate travel professional, specializing in sales, marketing and operations. Having worked with North America's major incentive houses for a decade she knows the unique nuances and considerations required to be successful in this niche and lucrative market. Unlocking this sector requires studious ground-work, stellar networking skills and stamina for longevity. Alexa brings this sector to life for Pacific Storytelling and our clients in spades.

Prior to her award-winning tenure as Head of Business Events for Tourism New Zealand for eight years, Alexa has worked in corporate travel in Canada and the publishing sector in Australia. By way of her hybrid New Zealand-American heritage, Alexa now resides on California’s Central Coast