Aimee O’Keeffe: Balancing Motherhood and Business Growth in NZ's Tourism Industry

Aimee O’Keeffe is a supermum. The challenge of a newborn baby while in the Icehouse residential Owner Manager Programme might have been a wee bit daunting but she took the challenge and has exceeded her own expectations to have the confidence to take on new business challenges.

Aimee and Cormac O’Keefe are making a move to Ahipara, Northland. Together with their two young children they have bought the Ahipara Holiday Park and will rebrand under the TOP 10 Holiday Parks Group with takeover on the 1^st of October. Having sold a family-owned campground venture at the popular Ōhope beach in the Bay of Plenty, the couple are looking forward to developing the beautiful Ahipara site and have plans to upgrade the facilities including a new bathroom block and a swimming pool is also in the plans.

“It’s beautifully planted and close to the beach – it will be really lovely to develop it and make it our own.”

Aimee and Cormac met in NZ – Cormac was here donating a kidney to his brother. They moved back to Cormac’s home in Ireland, returning to NZ in 2021 to manage the Ōhope TOP 10 business, owned by Aimee’s parents who were looking to retire.

“Cormac loves NZ and it's home for him now. He loves golf and the beach and will probably take up fishing, he’s very much an outdoors person and keen to give surfing a go.”

For Aimee growing up in holiday parks was “the best life” with so many friends and visitors returning year after year who became like family.

“It’s a really special way to grow up with all the space, freedom and friends.”

Hospitality is in her veins – she did a teaching degree but the call of the holiday parks brought her back and now with two children she is loving sharing the same childhood she had with them.

“It’s a really special way to grow up with all the space, freedom and friends.”

Caolan is 3 and Tadhg was born in May this year when Aimee was on an Icehouse Owner Manager Programme.

I had trained as a teacher - I had no background in owning a business, managing finances or people but I felt like I had a lot of responsibility with 60 staff at Ōhope. I had reached a ceiling where my parents could help and I knew I needed to do something extra - it was kind of make or break. My friend Anna, who owns the Mom Store, had won a business scholarship with the Icehouse so I thought this is just what I need to be successful in business.

When I signed up to the Icehouse, I didn’t know I was pregnant and I thought I wouldn’t be able to make the start date but I called the office and they said no problem at all!

Aimee missed one of the sessions giving birth and then decided she could bring Tadhg along to block 5 with the support of a nanny.

Originally Aimee thought her mum or husband would go with her but life and business got in the way.

“I knew there was an option to have a nanny through the team at agency Rock My Baby so I decided to give it a go. Within half an hour I had someone accept the job. It was actually fine leaving him because he was really close by and the facilitators were so supportive. They were happy for me to be late or zip out early and I trusted Rock My Baby and the process.

Doing the Owner Manager Programme was a significant investment, but it was 100 per cent worth it and that money will be made back in no time because now I feel I have the confidence to successfully grow the Ahipara business. I have all the capability I was missing before and the collaboration with all the other participants was an extra that I hadn’t thought about. They weren’t in my industry but that didn’t matter at all.”

Moving up to the Northland community will be new for Aimee and Cormac but extended family is planning to join them in Ahipara to help with the children.

“We don’t know anyone, but we hear that the community is really friendly.”

Aimee doesn’t know yet exactly what scale they are looking at however joining the TOP 10 Group will help to bring growth.

“Initially it will be a lot smaller than Ōhope but it will grow. The actual site size is half the size of Ōhope and capacity sits around 200-300 currently but we have plans to be able to accommodate up to 800 people.”