Our Team

Kia ora – we are the people behind Tahuna Beach Holiday Park.  We are involved in the Park because we love Nelson, we love tourism and we love sharing this special place with visitors.

 

David Pattinson - General Manager

David is a chartered accountant with more than 30 years’ experience helping run SME’s (Small and Medium Enterprises) in a wide range of industries, ranging from distressed companies in need of turnaround to companies experiencing rapid growth.

He opened and ran his own tourist attraction in the Nelson Tasman region for seven years giving him strong operational experience in the tourism sector.

David joined the Holiday Park in 2019 and became general manager at the end of 2020.

Reneé Bennett-Shields - Customer Service Manager

Renée is a third generation Nelsonian, born into a proud fishing family. Her early working career saw her sailing the seas on a deep-sea fishing vessel.  After getting married and a summer of quality controlling apple pickers and boysenberry fields, Renée joined the world of hospitality, stepping up to the role of Maître d’hôtel until baby number one was on its way.

A few years (and another baby) on, Renée moved into the exciting world of tourism and found her calling, attributing an even deeper passion for Nelson Tasman, and New Zealand, to the knowledge gained over four years working at Nelson i-SITE before joining us at TBHP.

Joe Adams - Facilities Manager

Originally from the UK, Joe was a seasoned traveller by the time he came to live in New Zealand in 2013 after meeting his wife while backpacking.  Having started his working life in the building trade, Joe moved into the Facilities Management sector where he has gained 10 years’ experience in several hands-on and management positions on both sides of the globe.  He broadened his skills while exploring New Zealand, working in Dairy farming, Hospitality management, Sales and Orchard work before settling back into an FM role in Nelson in 2015.

Joe now oversees all the Facilities, Grounds and Maintenance around the Holiday Park.

Debbie Armatage - Marketing, Communications and Events

Debbie trained as a journalist out of school then retrained in marketing after living in the UK for some years.  Her career has spanned many years of marketing management and consulting, as well as journalism and public relations management, predominantly working in the Tourism, Food and Hospitality sectors.  She has been in the Nelson region for several years after moving with her family from Christchurch.  The Events part of her role with the Holiday Park covers the holiday programme we run during summer as well as our involvement in trade shows and community events.

Tracey Stuart - Housekeeping Manager

Originally from Wellington and trained as a hairdresser, Tracey moved to Nelson 25 years ago and fell in love with the place and the people.

She has previously worked as a caregiver at a retirement home, a supervisor and product service representative with New Zealand’s largest retail group, and held housekeeping roles over the years in various places including holiday homes, holiday parks, commercial offices and domestic homes.   Joining the Tahuna Beach Holiday Park team in 2018, guest satisfaction is Tracey’s top priority.

Nicola Symonds - Accounts and HR

Nicola has called Nelson home for most of her life although travelled far and wide over the years.  Handling the accounts for various sized businesses, property management and tour guiding around the South Island contribute to the broad skill base she brings to the role.

Housekeeping Team

Odette, Leanne, Stacey, Eliana, Alistair, Monique-Rose, Natalya, Sam, Tara, Nicola and Amber-Rose.  Our housekeeping team is known for their careful eye for detail and efficiency.  Keeping all the surfaces clean and tidy, our guests’ comfort is their main priority.

Customer Service Team

Claire, Kim, Stacy, Alison, Monika and Noah.  This friendly, helpful team of customer relations professionals take care of our guests all day every day – from reservations to check-in, washing machine tokens to games equipment, and activity advice and bookings. Between them they speak five languages in addition to English: French, German, Tongan, Spanish, Swiss-German and Portuguese.

Grounds and Maintenance Team

Gavin, Barry and Ian. This team has a wide range of hands-on skills that help keep the park in tip top shape year round. While no two days are the same, an average day might include anything from fixing a leaky tap and painting to mowing, and building things in the workshop to enhance the guest experience. They have invaluable knowledge of the inner workings of the park including all the plant and machinery that needs to be looked after.

Governing Board of Directors

The 54 acres that Tahuna Beach Holiday Park sits on is owned by Nelson City Council and leased back to the Tahuna Camp Incorporated Society to run the Park.  Anyone can be a member of the society.  The Board is elected from the society members or co-opted on, and board members serve two-year terms.

The current TBHP Board is:

Dennis Christian – Chair

Steve Cross – Vice Chair

Paul Dayman

John Murray

Melinda Harvey

Joy Shackleton

Melanie Madden

Prue Smith (Secretary)