Matt joined the Tara Iti opening team in December 2013 from the United States of America. In its second year, Tara Iti Golf Club debuted at 29th in Golf Magazine’s top 100 courses in the world and currently ranks No.2 in Golf Digest top 100 courses in the world outside the US.

Matt is a Certified Club Manager, Certified Club Executive and Fellows Club Manager through the Club Managers Association of America. Matt came to Tara Iti Golf Club with a wealth of experience gained in 35+ years of club management. He has been instrumental in opening and managing several prestigious clubs in the US, most notably The Stock Farm Club in Hamilton, Montana; Interlachen Country Club in Edina, Minnesota and Desert Mountain in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Over the years Matt has been actively involved with not-for profit organisations. He has served on the Board of Directors for YMCA, Bitterroot Youth and Marcus Daly Preservation Trust. He has stood as the Executive Director and Board Member of the Greater Ravalli Foundation and more recently initiated the annual “Spirit of Mangawhai” Charity Golf Tournament which has led to the establishment of the Tara Iti Whānau Charitable Trust. Besides golf, Matt enjoys bike packing, hiking, fly-fishing, camping, hunting, and reading.

Matt has also completed 56 marathons, including one in each Continent, as well as three Ironman long course events including the Ironman World Championships in Kona in 2003. In 2021, he cycled “Tour Aotearoa” a bike ride which was approximately 3000km from Cape Reinga to Bluff in support of the Tara Iti Whānau Charitable Trust.

Zoey joined the Tara Iti team in July 2015 after moving to Mangawhai from Austria.

Raised in the Bay of Plenty, she left New Zealand in 1995 as an exchange student to Switzerland.

After completing a Diploma in Travel, Tourism and Business Studies she landed a role with an International Touring Company called Globus & Cosmos. To expand her knowledge of the travel industry she relocated with the company to London.

Zoey went on to work in the UK and central Europe for a Swiss Tour Operator specialising in Ski and Walking Holidays. Positioned up in the highest Ski Resort in Austria, she met her husband Jakob.

After spending 17 years abroad, working and travelling extensively she returned to New Zealand with her young family seeking new adventures and opportunities.

Besides travelling, Zoey loves the outdoors. She enjoys running, hiking and skiing and also spending quality time with her family.

Brian was born and raised in Central New York state and joined the team at Tara Iti in September 2018. Brian’s father was a Superintendent. He worked several summers for him in high school and quickly realised that this is what he wanted to do for a living. He enrolled at Cobleskill College and obtained his Plant Science degree there. He gained further experience at various clubs throughout the Northeast of the United States before landing at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. He was hired as Irrigation Technician and worked his way through the ranks to Senior Assistant Superintendent. After nearly seven years at Merion, he was fortunate enough to land the Superintendent role at the Seth Raynor gem, Shoreacres, in Lake Bluff, Illinois. There he fell in love with golf history and golf course architecture. He has travelled the world playing and seeing the best courses. Brian has hosted several major tournaments and attended and spoken at several industry conferences throughout the world.

Through his relationship with Tom Doak, he was invited to participate in Tara Iti’s Renaissance Cup in 2016. He quickly fell in love with Tara Iti and its surrounding area, fortunately for him the Superintendent role opened a couple years later. He was able to secure the position and took a leap of faith with his wife Samantha, to begin a new chapter in Mangawhai, New Zealand.

In 2023, Brian was promoted to Director of Courses overseeing not only Tara Iti but also Te Arai Links North and South Courses. Brian has a passion for the outdoors. If he is not at work, you will find him in his garden, at the beach, on a trail, in the kitchen or at a restaurant somewhere in New Zealand.

Recently promoted to Superintendent, Dylan Griffin joined Tara Iti’s Golf Maintenance team in October 2018.

Born and raised in Hamilton, but fortunate enough to spend most of his youth on the West Coast, Dylan first discovered turf management in 2015 while playing Cricket in the United Kingdom, where he would help the club’s groundsmen in the down time.

On returning to New Zealand his summer jobs at Seddon Park and FMG Stadium Waikato, helped with his decision to pursue turf management by enrolling in a Turf Programme in the Otago Polytechnic. Several more seasons at the Hamilton Stadiums, opened up the opportunity to become a Greenskeeper here at Tara Iti.

Growing up, Dylan had a passion for sports, playing at a high level in both Cricket and Rugby. But, like many of us, as he got older his passion changed towards food and experimenting with various ingredients and cultural cuisine. Harvesting fresh produce and then preparing it on a plate is one of his greatest thrills.

During his free time, he enjoys listening to good music, cooking and enjoying a meal with a glass of wine.Description goes here

Dave Pfisterer joined Tara Iti in June 2022 and brought with him more than 30 years of experience in all aspects of the golf operation to his role as Head Golf Professional.

He is a native of New Jersey and graduated from Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. Throughout his career in the golf business, Dave has enjoyed the opportunity to work at a number of renowned private clubs and resorts including The DuPont Country Club in Wilmington, Delaware, The Everglades Club in Palm Beach, Florida, Casa de Campo and La Romana Country Club in the Dominican Republic and Clear Creek Tahoe in Carson City, Nevada.

Dave is a Class A Member of the PGA of America with advanced certification in Golf Operations. He was honoured by his peers as the Private Club Merchandiser of the Year for the Northern California Section in 2020.

Dave and his wife Saritza were excited to move to New Zealand and join the team here at Tara Iti. In their spare time they enjoy being outdoors, hiking, travelling and all sports.

Prior to joining Tara Iti Tom caddied at Kingsbarn for 8 years. In May 2023 he was promoted to Tara Iti’s Caddie Master. He was born in Tauranga and raised in Wellington. Before starting his journey as a Caddie, Tom was a high level amateur golfer in New Zealand, representing both Wellington and Waikato at Senior and Junior age levels.

He also won the interprovincial for Wellington in 2011 and received player of the tournament for this event. Outside of Tara Iti, Tom enjoys spending time with his wife Claire, going out for nice dinners and heading to the beach. Tom has a passion for card games, video games and other sports.

Born and raised on a dairy farm in Te Hana. Tori moved to Melbourne at the age of 16 to pursue her childhood dream of becoming a professional dancer.

After studying and working in Australia for 5 years, Tori landed herself a job performing on “The World’s Most Luxurious Cruise Ship” the Regent Seven Seas Explorer, where she travelled around the world for three years. After travelling abroad Tori returned home to New Zealand in November 2019 excited to join the Member Services team at Tara Iti. Since then Tori has cross-trained in the Club Porter, Reservations, Event and Itineraries roles. She feels grateful to live and work in such a beautiful location and loves getting to know Tara Iti’s members, their families and guests.

Outside of work, Tori enjoys spending time with her family and friends, going to the beach and volunteering at the local Mangawhai Fire Brigade.

Ben Mills joined Tara Iti in October 2014 as Head Chef. He was born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand.

Ben has had 15 years cooking experience. He has worked at some of New Zealand's top fine dining restaurants, including The French Café, and most recently as Head Chef at Dine by Peter Gordon. Ben recently spent five years working aboard luxury yachts all around the globe, with his latest position as Head Chef on a new-build yacht.

Ben completed his training at Auckland University of Technology (AUT) with a Certificate in Food and Beverage Operations in 1999.

Ben enjoys cooking with exciting, vibrant flavours and the best produce available. His passion is for healthy, balanced food. During his down time, Ben's favourite pastime is motorcycling; other hobbies include furniture restoration and building and renovation.

Born and raised in Belgium, Victor Nolf joined the Tara Iti team as Head Chef in May, 2023 With an impressive culinary background including working at Michelin-starred restaurants such as Nuance and Het Gebaar in Belgium, Victor brings a European flair to the Tara Iti dining experience.

Notably, Victor’s skills also led him to serve as a private chef at the Belgian Embassy in New York. With a real passion for cuisine and creativity, Victor went on to co-found a Michelin-starred restaurant in his home country before relocating to New Zealand with his partner.

Beyond delivering exceptional dining experiences, Victor enjoys playing sports including golf and football and has a passion for playing chess and a good party. With a wealth of experience and dedication to cuisine, we are excited to see what Victor brings to the table here at Tara Iti.

Tommy Meany joined Tara Iti in May 2023 as Assistant Restaurant Manager, and a year later stepped up to the role of Clubhouse Manager.

A proud Irishman, Tommy has spent the past decade living in the US, Canada, England, and Australia, blending his diverse international experiences into an impressive Food & Beverage career.

Before Tara Iti, Tommy managed the Michelin-awarded Marksman Public House in London and spent several summers overseeing Golf Operations at Nicklaus North in Whistler, British Columbia.

In his free time, Tommy enjoys playing guitar, exploring the outdoors, and engaging in endless golf conversations with anyone willing to listen!

His partner, Laura, also works with Tara Iti’s Food & Beverage team. Together, they love traveling, discovering new restaurants, exploring unique wines, and spending quality time with family in Ireland and Australia.

Bevan, a New Zealander, joined Tara Iti Club in October 2014 as the Maintenance Manager, responsible for maintaining and overseeing all of the Club's buildings, facilities and equipment.

Bevan has extensive yachting experience, having spent ten years working on super yachts internationally, both captaining yachts, and working as a 1st Mate and engineer. Prior to this, Bevan worked on land, and has seven years experience as a boat builder.

Bevan has a Trade Certificate in Ship, Yacht and Boat Building as well as a raft of certifications in fire fighting, first aid, navigation, open water diving. He also has his RYA Yachtmaster Ocean and Sail Offshore.

Outside of work, Bevan is a very keen kite surfer and enjoys surfing, diving, deep sea and fly fishing, listening to music, writing, reading and socialising.

Louise was born in the UK, but raised in NZ on the Hibiscus Coast. She joined the Tara Iti team in March 2023 as the Executive Housekeeper.

Louise brings to Tara Iti vast experience in the Hospitality industry with 20+ years of working as a Corporate Travel Agent specialising in cruising. With a level 5 Diploma in Tourism, Louise helped set up the Blue Marlin Game Fishing Lodge in Vanuatu. She also built and opened the Fine Dining Private Restaurant, the Blue Marlin Club.

Her strong hospitality skills led her to a 3-year Property Management position on a private residence at Paremoremo, Auckland. She lived onsite maintaining the owner’s residence and guest suites. Throughout this time and as a dog lover, Louise also had the privilege to manage a Dog Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre.

Louise is passionate about fair play in all aspects of life and the treatment of others, including our planet and animals with respect. In her spare time, Louise enjoys taking her dog for leisurely walks along the beach.