Meet Andrew & David Akers
ZORB New Zealand
The idea started out as a way of playing on the beach and being able to walk on water. The problem was, you couldn’t control it, and we were worried you’d end up floating off to South America…so we started rolling people down hills instead,” says ZORB inventor and operator, Andrew Akers.
Constructed in Andrew’s garage, the pair called their double skinned inflatable sphere invention, the “ZORB”, and began trading in December 1995. A temporary site was set up in Auckland until the first permanent site was established in 1997 in Rotorua, where Andrew’s brother, David Akers, joined the business to help run operations.
Today David oversees the strategic direction and planning for ZORB New Zealand our international division and is on the board of ZORB Rotorua with a focus on product development, site audits, health, and safety.
Andrew takes on the strategy for ZORB Rotorua, finances and leads our charge in sustainability and his sense of humour and creative can be seen in many parts of the business.
Having 30 years each of combined knowledge taking a new product from an idea right through to selling it to the world gives David and Andrew the advantage of knowing how their products work in a commercial environment.
ZORB NZ Management Team
The brothers don’t do it all by themselves, the ZORB NZ team have an epic management team…..
Kelly Hemana – Co-Owner/Lead Project Management
Kelly joined David in the ZORB factory in the 90’s and then was trained to work onsite and was the Operations Manager and General Manager of ZORB Rotorua. (he’s been around a decade or two!) Kelly knows all the quirks of operating a site and how important vibe is in delivering a great customer experience. Kelly is the ‘master of all things’ and predominately works on infrastructure projects and IT for ZORB. On the odd occasion you can find him driving people up the hill…beep, beep!!
Steph Smith – ZORB Rotorua General Manager
Steph is epic, having worked full time in the tourism industry while doing a double Degree in Business, Events Management & Marketing. Steph started her career in tourism in Rotorua at an adventure park, before going on to working in International Hotel Chains in New Zealand, Australia and Canada. Her career spans leading the operations for accommodation, adventure tourism and coach touring.
Owen Turuta- Operations Manager
Having joined us during his summer holidays while studying (and graduating) from a Degree in International Business, Owen has now been with the team at ZORB Rotorua for 10 years and leads our daily operations on site. His vibe & energy is second to none and ensures that our customer experience is ON!
Melissa Craig – Co-Owner/ Head of Sales & Marketing.
Having worked in the Rotorua visitor industry for 30 years, Melissa’ has a background in Destination Management & Marketing, Event Management and was the General Manager of an adventure park prior to joining the ZORB team in 2012. There’s nothing Melissa loves more than a customer and a sale! Melissa’s strong analytical and creative skills drive the sales & marketing for ZORB Rotorua. Melissa also provides consultation services to other businesses looking to increase revenue.
If you have a general query get in touch with the team in Rotorua, New Zealand – the centre of our ZORB universe.
