Who We Are About Us

Ko Ngāti Raukawa ā Ngāti Ranginui Te Iwi

Nō Tauranga-Moana Ahau.

Lionel is our senior designer/brand creative who has been in the design industry for over 25 years. Born and bred at “The Wall – Lyall Bay” in Wellington, his communication adventures started as an apprentice offset printer before heading off to Design School.

His brand work has delivered for Iwi & Hapu, Sme’s, Startups, Business 2 Business, Business 2 Consumer and Corporate entities. The past 10 years as a freelance Design Director.

Lionel has a particular passion for less is more and doesn’t do pretty – if it has no purpose, then it’s gone. An practicing member of The Designers Institute of New Zealand and The Design Management Institute (Boston, USA) – Lionel keeps abreast with the latest in Design Thinking and Design Management and understands the qualitative value that design brings to brands and business.

An active tramper, you will find Lionel in the Kaimais most weekends or across any of NZs Great Walks when time allows. Any additional spare time is consumed on his rural Pāpamoa property tending to his collections, 4 mokos and 5 adult groms while helping his beautiful wife Ronnie, with her Canine rescue.

Jo is an owner and the company’s Chief Executive Officer – keeping the wheels turning across ninetyblack’s business functions of publishing, design, web, distribution and, Speedy Signs & EmbroidMe Taupo.

Driven by the company values, all she wants her team to do is “get S.H.I.T done” – Successfully, Honestly, with Integrity, and as a Team (which includes the client)… and the team are her biggest priority, with a large portion of her time focused on HR, best practice, and growth. ninetyblack was established in 1997 and Jo wants to continue the company’s reputation for success by driving a team that consistently delivers inspired creative, quality products and professional service to the highest standard.

ninetyblack is her “baby” so she lives and breathes it, but still finds the odd bit of time for mountain biking, walking, wakeboarding and chilling out at the beach with her family. She’s also an enthusiast in the end product of grape fermentation.

Matt is an owner and the company’s Chief Operating Officer. He oversees operations to keep the business on track and focuses specific energy looking after ninetyblack’s digital clients (web development & digital marketing) and Speedy Signs & EmbroidMe Taupo.

He works closely with his web development and design team to ensure delivery of a website that looks great, functions well, performs in search, and is a long term solution for our clients online needs. His particular skill is in automating business processes to make a website a tool not just for customers, but for business owners as well.

Born in England he’s naturally obsessed with football (Manchester United specifically) but he’s been in New Zealand since 2007 so is keen on anything outdoors including flying, mountain biking, and fishing… especially flying. So if you’re keen for a flight, let Matt know – he has his private pilots license and is always looking for an excuse.

Mandy is that ray of sunshine delivering the right advertising solutions to our print advertising clients.

Mandy is our Sales & Account Manager, looking after the wide range of local visitor guides and maps like the Ultimate Guide, Taste & Shop Taupo, the Taupo Visitor Map, Towncentre Taupo Map, and the Official Taupo Visitor Guide. She also looks after the local’s business and lifestyle magazine – henry. She is also the contact for the Kiwi Holiday Parks Touring Map & Directory, which is a nationwide publication.

In her spare time (which she doesn’t get much of) we try to get her baking, but she prefers to spend it with her kids, redecorating her house or enjoying a catch up with friends over a nice dinner… that she just made in her Thermomix!

Georgie is the face behind the wheel of the ninetyblack van!

Managing our distribution service, Georgie already has a background in tourism and is passionate about being out and about promoting all there is to see and do in Taupo, Rotorua and the Bay of Plenty. If you’re a client on our Taupo brochure service, she will make sure your brochure is out on all the racks and that you’re topped up with plenty of stock.

In her spare time, Georgie loves to garden, spend time with her family and friends, and get out and about in Taupo’s amazing outdoors. Whether it’s up the mountain in the winter, or on the lake or a bike in summer, Georgie’s happy.

Amanda’s background in administration, customer service and marketing ticked all the boxes for our new Project Administrator role.

This position was created to deliver a seamless and enjoyable customer experience. Amanda is the communication connect between you and our publishing, design and web teams – coordinating material to get your projects complete and on time, our translator to keep things simple, and keeping you up to date along the way (while our team keep busy in the background).

When Amanda’s not keeping the wheels turning on our projects, she spends her days off monkeying around at the gym training for obstacle course races, wandering Spa Park with her dog Colby, or frequenting local cafes and bars to partake in a coffee/gin or 3! After living overseas for 6 years, she found a new appreciation for NZ and loves getting out to explore it in her van.

Harri is with us to creatively craft content for your website, marketing campaigns and social channels.

Looking after digital marketing strategy and content marketing, she is our specialist in Google Ads, Facebook marketing and analytics – working to drive results and get traffic to your site.

Having just moved back to New Zealand after a few years overseas, when she’s not at her computer, you’ll find Harri out and about with her partner exploring NZ’s forests, lakes and beaches. She loves surfing (although claims she’s not very good at it), any outdoors adventure, eating good food and the odd whisky.

Backed by a diploma in Business Management & Marketing, Tayla has youth on her side and digital marketing in her DNA. With her creative flair and love for all things social, we are looking forward to seeing Tayla work her magic for our clients.

Tayla looks after all facets of digital marketing – social media management, content creation, e-marketing, and strategy and scheduling across multiple platforms. She is here to drive engagement and create effective communications for your brand on a digital scale, along with ramp up business returns and enquiries through Google Ads, making sense of your analytics and delivering ROI.

In her spare time, she’s either soaking up the rays (when we have some) in the garden or on the lake, and ‘attempting’ new yoga poses. Her perfect Saturday night would be a wine in hand with a charcuterie board and a juicy thriller novel.

Brett is ninetyblack’s senior full stack developer.

Brett builds websites, applications, and is here to solve your problems. He’ll take on any job but if you have something that’s complex and challenging – he is the one you want working on it.

When Brett’s not at work he loves to spend time outside exploring waterfalls, native walks, and hiking trails. He enjoys photography and videography and when he can find the time, he works on his coffee shop eCommerce business. Did we mention he is a coffee snob?

Bonjour, meet the French touch to the “front end”!

Alex (also known as “Frenchie”) joins us on a quest – to change all the websites of the world into the greatest user experience you could imagine. If you see a rainbow in Taupo, that’s just another one of Alex’s happy customers.

He is French, so while everything he says sounds good, Alex suggests sometimes it might be easier to learn French than to try and understand what he’s saying. When he’s not building beautiful websites he’s doing French things; drinking wine and eating bread and smelly cheeses.

Frankie builds websites, apps, connects software and creates custom integrations… all that good stuff.

When she’s not working on your project, she loves to get outside. Mountain biking, wakeboarding and diving are her favourite hobbies but she loves trying new things. Frances and her husband have two adorable kids, they like to explore NZ’s rivers, lakes and beaches as a family.

Meet our cutest recruit yet, Harry was born February 03, 2019 – so he is very new to the ninetyblack family.

Harry is very territorial, and will likely never get used to the fact that anybody could walk into the office at any time. He takes his role as Head of Barketing very seriously but don’t worry – his bark is far worse than his bite. All he wants from visitors to the office is a “hello” and as many cuddles as you can give him, and once you’re in that inner circle…. well, you’ll have to pop in for a visit to find out.

Harry stays on top of office security in between long naps in the GM’s office and the odd meeting in the Boardroom.

Matt is an owner and the company’s Chief Operating Officer. He oversees operations to keep the business on track and focuses specific energy looking after ninetyblack’s digital clients (web development & digital marketing) and Speedy Signs & EmbroidMe Taupo.

He works closely with his web development and design team to ensure delivery of a website that looks great, functions well, performs in search, and is a long term solution for our clients online needs. His particular skill is in automating business processes to make a website a tool not just for customers, but for business owners as well.

Born in England he’s naturally obsessed with football (Manchester United specifically) but he’s been in New Zealand since 2007 so is keen on anything outdoors including flying, mountain biking, and fishing… especially flying. So if you’re keen for a flight, let Matt know – he has his private pilots license and is always looking for an excuse.

Originally our Office Administrator – Anne’s background in sales and crazy organisational skills meant she was perfect for a role in our new business – Speedy Signs & EmbroidMe Taupo.

Anne can look after all your company signage, uniform and merchandise/promotional product needs from sourcing garments, design, pricing and keeping you in the loop on production and turnaround time.

Away from her desk, Anne’s passion is the outdoors and everything about it. When not at work you’ll find her playing outside on horses or bikes, on, or by the lake, and generally enjoying all Taupo has to offer.

Caroline is Speedy Signs & EmbroidMe Taupo’s studio tech/production assistant – predominantly working on EmbroidMe production and orders from our online custom tee store: twentee.nz.

Caroline is our seamstress, printer and embroiderer… with an eye for detail and a need for perfectionism, which is exactly what you want when someone’s working with your garments!

When she’s not at work she loves to socialise, having dinners out and about, along with the odd boogie (you’re never to old for that). Deep sea fishing is another great love of her, and she has fond memories of catching a Yellow Fin tuna and being out on the lake with the kids biscuiting. Sewing is her creative buzz (she’s has made 100s of face masks in the last year) and the gym is her health buzz.

Uros is the sign maker here at Speedy Signs Taupo. Living up to the name, he sure makes signs with speed. Full of experience, he’s been working with Speedy Signs for years, in both the Manukau and Queenstown locations.

Holly will welcome you as you enter our pristine showroom.

Assisting you with the best Speedy Signs and EmbroidMe solution, with you every step of the way. Previously working around the globe in customer service and sales, Holly will make sure you leave with a smile and wanting to give us that 5-star review.