Steve Mackenzie has been CEO of the Restaurant Association of NZ since October 2009

Since graduating from the Tourist Hotel Corporation’s Hotel Management program in 1988, Steve has held senior management and leadership positions in New Zealand, the UK and South Africa.

In 2005 Steve completed a Masters degree in Business Administration from the University of Otago, and with that diversified his management experience in the consulting industry, offering strategic and operational management expertise to local and central governments, convention centres and major events like the 2005 British Lions Tour of New Zealand and the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth games.

As CEO for the association, Steve is committed to growing its membership as well as strengthening the services it offers to its membership. Representation at a legislative level is also a key area of responsibility along with raising the profile of an association that represents one of New Zealand’s largest industries; employing more than 80000 people at nearly 12000 restaurants and food outlets, and generating sales in excess of $5 billion a year.

Steve also over sees New Zealand’s largest hospitality and culinary show, HospitalityNZ, the largest gathering of hospitality and food service professionals in the country.

MIKE EGAN
National President

Long standing Wellington restaurateur Mike Egan is the Association’s National President.

Mike is a co-owner of the Monsoon Poon restaurants in Auckland and Wellington as well as The Arbitrageur in Wellington. He is also a trustee of Westpac Stadium, has interests in The Terrace Villas accommodation in Wellington, and is a board member of the Pinot Noir 2010 conference being held in the city. In 2008 Mike opened his latest venture, Osteria del Toro, a mediterranean style restaurant & bar.

Part of Mike’s role is to help formulate the initiatives and strategy of the Restaurant Association of New Zealand and he says the Association is very well placed to meet the challenges of the current and future business environment and the needs of our members who are part of one of the most dynamic and exciting industry sectors in the country.

CRAIG MACFARLANE
National Vice President

From humble beginnings, Craig Macfarlane, in partnership with family, opened his first café, Macfarlane’s Caffe Inglewood, in March 1995. Subsequent to this, Craig has varied hospitality interests and is co-owner of Arborio restaurant and Heineken Star Draught bar, Daily News café, Elixir café, Café Govett Brewster, Airspresso café, Lush Café and Gelato, Frederic’s Monteith’s bar, and Ozone Coffee company.

As an enthusiastic hospitality employer of over 100 staff, Craig is also a board member of the Hospitality Standards Institute (HSI), Western Institute of Technology in Taranaki (WITT), and vice-present of the Restaurant Association of New Zealand.

Craig enjoys implementing innovative systems within the workplace thus providing accountability and measurability to ensure the ongoing success and succession of his staff and businesses alike.

TONY ROBERTSON
National Vice President

An Australian who came to Queenstown 32 years ago for a three month ski holiday, Tony became a Ski Instructor and ended up teaching skiing in the U.S. and in Japan where he developed his passion for food.

Upon returning to NZ he teamed up with two other Kiwis and opened Minami Jujisei Japanese Restaurant in 1986 which is still running to this day. At the time it was the 5th Japanese restaurant in NZ and was in fact the world’s most southern In 1994 he opened The Boardwalk Restaurant, specialising in seafood with the chef and now owner Grant Jackson. He opened Hamills Restaurant in the Remarkables Park Shopping Centre in 2004. It is best described as an upscale “Family Restaurant” dealing almost exclusively with locals and balances out his interest in The Bathhouse Restaurant; one of Queenstown’s more iconic dining establishments.

Still enjoying working the floor of his restaurants he can be found almost every day at Hamills, reminiscing about the old days of Queenstown or chatting with tourists, extolling the virtues of his adopted home. Tony’s main sources of pride have always been in the relationships he has developed with his current and ex staff and their continuing success in the industry.

He is very passionate about the Restaurant Association and represents its interests on various advisory boards as well as making representations on behalf of the South Island members.

BART LITTLEJOHN
Auckland Branch President

Bart Littlejohn is a product of his environment. Born, raised and educated in his parents’ Wellington restaurant, Orsinis, he began his ‘official’ apprenticeship at fifteen and was helping run the restaurant, now in Auckland, by seventeen.

It was a great grounding for a career in hospitality and lead him into positions within the hotel and catering industry in Sydney, the restaurant industry in Auckland and finally into managing Bell House, Auckland, for owner and chef Simon Gault.

During a four-year hiatus Bart worked in London as Corporate Sales Manager and Retail Manager for Boisdale Wines, Chelsea. On returning to Auckland he managed Bell House again before buying Sails Restaurant in 1991. Although Bart now has two managers to help run the restaurant he keeps in touch with his customers by working on the floor and in touch with the industry as a whole by serving as our Auckland Branch President.

KAREN BRIGHOUSE
Bay of Plenty Branch President

MATT GLINTMEYER
Acting Canterbury Branch President

STEPHEN RICHARDSON
Dunedin Branch President

REBECCA RAMEKA
Hawkes Bay President

PHIL MONK
Manawatu/Wanganui Branch President

KERRY WARD
Marlborough Branch President

My husband Garry and I have been in Kaikoura for eight years and love the vibrant hospitality industry here. In more recent years we’ve returned to live in Nelson and commute the route on a weekly basis so still very much hand’s on.

Late September we open a second venture in Kaikoura called Bayside Blue Cafe (formerly 42º25 South) and looking positively towards a steady stream of visitors if Motel forward bookings can be believed.

JOHN WHEELER
Nelson Branch President

DAMON MCGINNISS
Rotorua Branch President

ALEX BOYES
Southern Lakes President

MELANIE CORBETT
Taranaki Branch President

MATT COOPER
Waikato Branch President

A chef of 20+ years, training in Auckland, Melbourne, and Sydney and owning businesses in Rotorua and now Hamilton.

MIKE EGAN
Wellington Branch President
(see above - National President)