It's easy to understand why this down-to-Earth provincial club is a good fit for a shy lad from the Bay of Plenty. Unlike most modern professional organisations, the club oozes a warm, welcoming family ambience, from the receptionist to affable head coach Ron Jans.
On the day of our visit, Thomas was absent from training due to a stomach bug. Normally that would have been the end of the interview opportunity.
At the IJsseldelta Stadium, however, the staff profusely apologise for the inconvenience, give Thomas a call to check if he's up for a visitor, print out a map to his home and, 10 minutes later, a pale-looking Thomas answers the door to his suburban apartment.
The shiny Mercedes A-Class in the driveway is the only hint of a football star residing at the address.
Otherwise, this could be any student flat or bachelor pad, with a couple of old couches, a PlayStation and a rusty bike in the hallway (possibly the property of flatmate Harry Edge, the son of Thomas' mentor Declan Edge who is trying to make his way in Zwolle's reserve team).
"We haven't got much, but hopefully my new girlfriend will help us buy some nice stuff. It needs the female touch," Thomas smiles.
Getting his own place after 12 months with a host family has completed a remarkable year for Thomas. His rise to prominence has been profound, from fresh-faced triallist to first-team regular and a starring role with two goals in the Dutch Cup final victory last year.
"Declan suggested Holland would be a good place to start my career but we had no idea the set-up and coaches at this club would be so good," he says. "That was a bit of luck."
Thomas says the transition was relatively easy because Edge adopted the Dutch coaching principles at his Ole Academy, and he was also helped by a coach who has built a reputation for giving young players opportunities.
"Ron Jans is the perfect coach for this club," he says. "They haven't got much money, so he has to find cheap players from other clubs or bring through his own young players."
Many PEC fans feared Zwolle would struggle this season after the club lost five key players following their stunning 5-1 cup final win over Ajax but the boys in blue are sixth after 11 games.
Half the starting side are aged 20 or under, but Thomas thinks the team are even better and have learned how to win tight matches.
"Last year, we lost 14 points in the last 10 minutes, which cost us the play-offs. This season, we have already scored 10 goals in the last 10 minutes that have earned us draws and wins."
It's just as well Thomas has been putting on weight because he's currently the third-most fouled player in the Eredivisie. He would likely be topping the foul statistics if he hadn't gained the unfortunate reputation of being a diver.
"Last year, we got a penalty when I was trying to get out of the way of a defender, but he clipped me, I fell, and it looked like a dive. Since that day, I have noticed a lot of calls are going against me."
But he's learning to roll with the punches, from opponents and fans alike.
Thomas was especially shocked by the abuse he received in the local derby against neighbours Go Ahead Eagles, when comments were made about his physique, nationality and even his mother.
"When we played them last year, I thought, 'Holy shit, I'm just a little kid from New Zealand, so why are you saying all that stuff?' I got bullied and let it get under my skin. That game, I really felt like a boy playing against men and we got thrashed."
Things were a little different when he returned to the same venue recently.
"I picked up the ball for a throw-in and they were throwing beer and abuse at me. I just stared at these guys and they didn't even look human with their eyes all glazed over, so I just started laughing."
Now this Te Puke teen, who played in front of a few hundred people in the Central League just over a year ago, is no longer intimidated by 50,000 fans in Amsterdam or Rotterdam. In fact, they are the games he looks forward to the most.
His success has opened the door to other Kiwis making it in the Dutch leagues and PEC Zwolle have been quick to invite Wellington teenagers Dominic Waldridge and Owen Parker-Price for trials after visiting an under-16 tournament in New Zealand.
Edge remains involved in all major decisions as Thomas' manager, along with high-profile British agency Wasserman, who recently added the Kiwi to their stable of stars from the Premier League and other sporting codes.
He's been courted by a number of agents offering big-money deals and is pleased he can now refer them to his new agency. Big clubs in the Netherlands have made no secret of their interest, along with those from other leagues, but Thomas is keen to stay at Zwolle at least another year.
He says too many young players have been blinded by dollars but end up on the bench before disappearing in football obscurity.
"I'm still only 19, so I've got at least 12-13 years left to earn the big bucks," he says. "If there was a big-money move on offer, and they'd really believe in me, we'd look at it. But we'd hope they would loan me back to PEC for a year. At this stage, I need to keep playing, develop and get better."
