• Maverick Digital | New Zealand Landscape

    Our story

    About

We’re a tight-knit, passionate team of straight shooters that are committed to tourism. We love partnering with good people and doing work that makes an impact.

Meet the Team  Read our story Work With Us

New Zealand based,
with a global approach

Maverick is your local digital agency, no matter where you live. With an HQ in Auckland, New Zealand, our highly mobile team is intimately acquainted with tourism globally – whether you’re in the thick of piercing alps, golden sand beaches, ancient forest or a chic urban hub. There is nothing we love more than travelling in both New Zealand and offshore, and working with destinations and operators of all shapes and sizes.

Our team of Mavericks come from all walks of life and are united by an unwavering passion for the visitor economy and an obsession with performance marketing. We’re focused on lifting operators and destinations higher than a kea can soar, and we’re here to ensure your digital journey is both successful and enjoyable.

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Meet our team

Zac Watson General Manager

Zac is an accomplished tourism leader with experience spanning both public and private sector roles. Passionate about the future of our industry, Zac's people-first approach to leadership drives stunning outcomes for both client partners and the Maverick team.

Alex Dykman Founder

On a mission to empower tourism through digital, Alex is our award-winning founder and a tourism and technology leader in her own right. Founding Maverick in 2014, Alex is an advocate for using technology to drive meaningful, innovative and enduring industry change.

Tim Olson Technical Director

Tim's specialties lie in lead generation and nurturing customers through digital pathways, focusing on the customer or stakeholder experience throughout the entire travel research lifecycle.

Stu Lill Head of Client Services

With nearly a decade working in digital marketing for New Zealand operators, Stu’s understanding and application of supercharged performance strategies for tourism is second to none.

Ryan Wilmshurst Key Account Manager

With a background mixing RTO and operator experience, Ryan is a passionate storyteller and tourism campaign master. A YoungTEC board member, he adds strong industry know-how, passion and knowledge to our Client Services team.

Nicki Press Key Account Manager

With a unique blend of accommodation, business events and RTO experience, Canterbury local and tourism superstar Nicki delivers top-notch campaigns and content for our Gold and VIP clients. Nicki works remotely from Christchurch.

Kelly Hookey Performance Team Lead

A Tourism Marketing Maverick in her own right and accomplished team lead, Kelly's strengths lie in the conception, creation & optimisation of multi-platform digital campaigns that maximise returns.

Mike McVey Senior Developer

Web Developer extraordinaire meets classic kiwi bloke. Creative brilliance and finely honed technical ability merge to boost Mike’s digital tourism creations clearly above the crowd. Mike works remotely from Gisborne.

Zara Colbert Content & Social Media Coordinator

With an oat flat white in one hand and the latest viral trends in the other, Zara is our Insta ninja and resident TikTok expert. From the sand to the slopes, she's all about New Zealand's picturesque landscapes. With an eye for engaging social media and a fresh Gen Z perspective, Zara brings our client's stories to life via slick and snazzy short form video and scroll-worthy written content.

Emi Cross Digital Performance Executive

A dynamic marketing enthusiast with a psychology edge. Equipped with a fresh perspective and a hunger for industry insights, she's diving headfirst into the marketing world. With a background in psychology, Emi brings a unique blend of analytical thinking and creative flair to the performance team.

Alyssa Serignese Account Executive

Alyssa Serignese is a dedicated Account Executive at Maverick, based in the heart of Central Otago. With a decade of experience in the tourism industry, Alyssa brings a fresh perspective and a passion for adventure to our team. Her deep understanding of the region and her ability to craft innovative marketing campaigns make her a valuable asset to our clients.

Larissa Nagel Client Services Strategist

Larissa works on a variety of projects to enhance our client experience and add even more spice to our Maverick secret sauce. Larissa's dynamic thinking and wealth of digital marketing skills is perfectly set to enrich our onboarding processes and supercharge our strategies to help drive innovative, impactful results for new and existing clients.

Work With Us

Don’t see a current position available that takes your fancy? Have a look through the key, general traits we look for in a Maverick and if it sounds like you’d make a good fit, send us your CV anyway! We’ll contact you if something applicable comes up.

And if you do see a role that would be fitting but don’t think you have all of the skills we’re seeking, please still apply if you have the General Traits that Make a Maverick!

We are a diverse, inclusive agency environment and appreciate all people of varying backgrounds applying for a role, or simply sharing their CV with us.

General Traits that Make a Maverick:

  • A positive, can-do attitude.
  • Integrity and a love for seeing people and businesses succeed.
  • Desire to be around likeminded people who are on the same journey.
  • A focus on high levels of client satisfaction
  • Proactive thinking, considering lots of different possibilities and solutions!
  • Digital marketing knowledge
  • Collaborative & team focused nature / team player with a willingness to learn
  • Motivation to develop themselves in the role
  • Ability to communicate with the written word (and non written word)
  • And cracking the odd joke never hurt the office vibes!

At Maverick we love to see people punching above their weight. If you think you have what it takes and are interested in joining the team, contact us.

The story of Maverick Digital

It all started in a humble hostel in Rio de Janeiro back in 2014. Between caipirinhas and capoeira Alex would help with digital strategy for tourism operators; a natural continuation of her years spent at Tourism NZ (the digital stuff, not the capoeira). The remote work continued in between Amazon jungle exploring, and when Alex saw a surf doco on California’s Mavericks – one of the world’s most epic and feared surf breaks – something clicked. Embracing direct sales through digital was a scary move for most operators. Nearly as brave as dropping in on a big wave at Mavericks.

Now with some exhilarating years under its belt and a superstar team, Maverick Digital is all grown up. It has flown from a dream to a full-service international agency transforming operators and organisations across New Zealand, Australia, the USA, Canada and Fiji. Helping the tourism industry harness the power of digital is a wickedly fun day job. Almost as fun as the caipirinha-sharp banter.

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#MAVERICKTOURISM

Final chance to grab an Earlybird ticket for Destination: Digital 📣
 
On our ‘From Insight to Impact’ panel, you’ll hear from data-driven decision makers Rachel Howie (RealNZ), Shaun Fitzgibbon (TRA), and Sarah Britton (nee Short) (Tourism New Zealand), who’ll bring a diverse range of perspectives on how you can leverage data to shape marketing strategies, identify emerging trends, and build high-impact campaigns.
 
As NZ’s only conference dedicated to tourism marketers, it’s a day all about equipping our industry with the latest tactics and techniques for your digital toolboxes. Now all that’s missing is you - see you on Tuesday December 3 (the day prior to TEC Xmas Symposium) at the B:Hive in Auckland. Grab an earlybird ticket before 5pm today 👉 link in bio.

Final chance to grab an Earlybird ticket for Destination: Digital 📣

On our ‘From Insight to Impact’ panel, you’ll hear from data-driven decision makers Rachel Howie (RealNZ), Shaun Fitzgibbon (TRA), and Sarah Britton (nee Short) (Tourism New Zealand), who’ll bring a diverse range of perspectives on how you can leverage data to shape marketing strategies, identify emerging trends, and build high-impact campaigns.

As NZ’s only conference dedicated to tourism marketers, it’s a day all about equipping our industry with the latest tactics and techniques for your digital toolboxes. Now all that’s missing is you - see you on Tuesday December 3 (the day prior to TEC Xmas Symposium) at the B:Hive in Auckland. Grab an earlybird ticket before 5pm today 👉 link in bio.
...

After just 8 months of dazzling us all with her epic energy, enthusiasm and quick learning; our superstar PT, @emi.cross, has been promoted to our Digital Performance Executive and we couldn't be prouder! 🚀

From navigating the tourism industry to crafting Google and Meta campaigns, Emi has truly embraced the world of paid media like a pro 👏👏👏

#Promotion #DigitalMarketing #TourismIndustry #NZ

After just 8 months of dazzling us all with her epic energy, enthusiasm and quick learning; our superstar PT, @emi.cross, has been promoted to our Digital Performance Executive and we couldn`t be prouder! 🚀

From navigating the tourism industry to crafting Google and Meta campaigns, Emi has truly embraced the world of paid media like a pro 👏👏👏

#Promotion #DigitalMarketing #TourismIndustry #NZ
...

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We're a team of tourism and digital experts who hang our hats on doing high impact work that affects your bottom line.