Awatere Douglas is the new manager at Sudima Rotorua.
Awatere Douglas is the new manager at Sudima Rotorua.
The new boss of Rotorua’s Sudima Hotel has gone from the kitchen to the penthouse.
Rotorua born and bred Awatere Douglas was last week named as the hotel’s new manager.
Nine years ago, a fresh-faced Douglas started at Sudima washing dishes.
Over the following years, Douglas has been to university for three years, spent three years learning the ropes at the Christchurch Sudima and has had 18 months of mentoring at Rotorua from the outgoing manager.
It’s been quite a meteoric rise for the 27-year-old.
“If you had said to me 12 months ago that I would step into a hotel management position, I would have said ‘No way’,” Douglas told the Herald.
“But it was made official last Wednesday, and I am so honoured and blessed to be given this opportunity, and I hope my journey will encourage more of our rangatahi to look at hospitality and tourism, as the borders are reopening and 2023 is almost here.
“I would not be in this position without the support of my whānau or the many mentors I have had along the way.”
Douglas has three older sisters and was educated at Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Koutu, a Māori immersion school that had a roll of 200.
He said the skills he learned from the kura and the marae set him up for the hospitality-tourism industry.
“You welcome the manuhiri, you feed the manuhiri, and then on the marae you get mattresses out for your guests,” Douglas, 27, said.
Sudima Rotorua manager Awatere Douglas.
Leaving school, he was fortunate to gain a Ngāti Whakaue-Sudima Hotel joint scholarship.
He was the first recipient of the scholarship, which allowed him to study for a Bachelor of Tourism Management majoring in hospitality, and a second in Te Ao Māori from Waikato University.
He said going from a class of seven to a lecture hall with 400 students at Waikato University was daunting, and he almost pulled the pin on day one.
“I called the COO of Sudima and told him I couldn’t do it. He drove to Hamilton and we talked through my issues, as I had come from a small place in Rotorua,” Douglas said.
“I am so glad for the mentorship he and other senior leaders in Sudima gave me. It has made me who I am today.
Sudima Rotorua.
“Just nine years ago I was washing dishes - now I am the hotel manager.”
Douglas said he wants his journey to encourage other Māori, because now was the time to jump on the hospitality-tourism waka.
“I want to use my story to encourage others [and] give other rangatahi, including my iwi and community, a push to join hospitality as a rewarding career.”
“Business is looking really promising and we are seeing more tour groups coming back. Rotorua will be on fire,” Douglas said.
He said he has no immediate plans to make drastic changes at the Sudima Rotorua, but wants more tikanga.
“But what I am looking forward to doing is continuing to integrate tikanga Māori with our customer service and other touchpoints throughout the hotel. Sudima Hotels already embraces this throughout the company, so I am proud to continue to build on this,” he said.
“My family are incredibly proud as they have seen the hours I have put in and the sacrifices I have made, including leaving my family for three years to improve my skills and gain more knowledge by taking roles with the company in other locations.”
