Tourism New Zealand announces appointment of new Chief Executive

The Tourism New Zealand board has confirmed the appointment of René de Monchy as the government agency’s new Chief Executive.

de Monchy, who has been in the role of interim Chief Executive since January following the resignation of Stephen England-Hall at the end of last year, previously managed Tourism NZ’s commercial function, having first joined the organisation in August 2015 as Director of Trade, PR and Major Events.

Announcing the appointment, Tourism NZ Chair, Jamie Tuuta stated “René has been an instrumental member of the Tourism New Zealand executive team for over five years, and has done a fantastic job as interim CE) over the past few months during in a uniquely challenging time for the sector and the organisation.

“René is a strong advocate for working with government and the sector to ensure that it enriches Aotearoa, and this will be particularly important as borders start to open.”

Commenting on his appointment, de Monchy (pictured above) added “tourism is important to New Zealand’s recovery and, as we get closer to the return of international visitors, it’s incredibly important that this is balanced with ensuring tourism enriches our home, communities and people.

“I look forward to working closely with government and sector to achieve this.”

England-Hall officially departed in January 2021 after nearly three years at the organisation relocating to Queenstown to join South Island tourism operator Wayfare.

Tuuta paid tribute to England-Hall as an advocate for the industry, going on to say “over the last four years Stephen has done a fantastic job growing preference for New Zealand internationally and domestically through innovative activity and supporting and advocating for the industry.”