Meet the Team

Our staff are great with people and excellent role models. We employ instructors on the basis of their maturity, judgement, teaching experience and technical skills. All our instructors are qualified, have proven experience in outdoor pursuits, hold a current outdoor first aid certificate, driver’s license, and are trained in risk and crisis management. Our instructor qualifications include:

• NZOIA awards in rockclimbing, abseiling, kayaking, mountaineering and bushcraft
• NZRA raft guiding qualifications
• Project Adventure facilitation qualifications
• a variety of NZQA outdoor recreation standards

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Staff profiles

TBC - Manager

Emma Smith- Office Manager 

Having moved over here in 2002 from North America Emma brings  her unique accent and training as a chef. She has a love of the  outdoors and a passion for horses. Taking 11 years out, to be a stay  at home Mum to her four busy kids, has been a joy and a test of her  organizational skills (and patience!).  After rejoining the work force  doing admin at a local hotel she has come to join our team. Being  married to the local plod gives her a unique insight into outdoor  activities - and how important it is to get things right so you don’t require  the services of Search and Rescue.  Having lived in the area over 10 years she has a lot of local knowledge and a great insight into the  local community. When she starts baking the locals tend to come round to share the goodies. 

 Instructing Staff 

Claire Wyatt - Instructor

 'The ship in the harbor is safe; but that's not what it's built for.' 

Having trained and worked in several countries, Claire brings more than 20 years experience in the outdoors to BMAC. As well as her Outdoor experiences, Claire is a trained counsellor and adventure therapist, combining these skill sets to bring about the best outcomes for those she works with.
While Claire loves the Outdoors and will happily engage in any and all activities, she also loves running in the mountains and can sometimes be heard singing her heart out too!

Stephen Ward - Instructor

Stephen is our very own walking talking Soldier from The Salvation Army. He also brings his funny accent from the UK along with 10 yrs work experience in the outdoors over there. Not only does he love the outdoors he also teaches partnered dancing, loves gaming on pc or console and motorbiking round twisty roads!   He brings with him a relentless enthusiasm and optimism that the outdoors can have a positive impact on people’s lives if used well…….and a cookie monster onesie that he refuses to apologise for.

 Layton Hockey - Instructor

Layton is fresh out of polytech, he brings youth, exuberance and adventure galore!  Having studied outdoor instruction he is nailing becoming one. He loves all of the outdoors and is usually found enjoying it in some form or another in his off hours. He is new to the area but learning fast where the best kayaking and adventure spots are. Layton is keen to learn and pass on the wealth of knowledge he gained while studying. Originally from Gisborne he is looking forward to living here with our huge snowy mountains. 

Tina Gargett

Tina has travelled and instructed around the world after training up and qualifying over in the UK. She has been living locally for a few years guiding on the Tongariro Crossing before joining our team at BMAC. Tina has a keen appetite for the outdoors, in her off hours she pursues kayaking and snow time on the mountain. When she needs a break from all the activity Tina enjoys writing.

Lisa Gatward

Lisa is joining us for 2018 as our intern this year. She will have a go at everything we have to offer here at BMAC to find out if the outdoors is the right place for her in her future endeavours. It is becoming clear that she loves the water and is fast learning how to guide rafts down the Tongariro river.

Moving all the way from East Auckland, Lisa has left the city life to be closer to the outdoors. Lisa is always keen for a swim, even in the middle of winter! She also enjoys baking, surfing and hanging out with friends. She is a bundle of giggles and is known for her interesting outlook on life.