About us

Who we are

David ten Have

Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer

David co-founded and was CTO of New Zealand's #1 design-led Microsoft web development firm, Provoke. From zero, he helped to recruit 30 staff to build a multi-million dollar valuation within 5 years. Some customers included the New Zealand Fire Service, The National Bank of New Zealand and New Zealand's Department of Internal Affairs.

Derek Elley

Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer

Derek co-founded and was CEO of New Zealand's #1 Internet marketing agency, First Rate. That company is Google's biggest NZ customer, tracking over $750 million in customer revenues. From zero, he helped to create a multi-million dollar company within 6 years. Some customers included 8 of the top 10 New Zealand e-commerce companies, NewsCorp, Fonterra, Telecom, Air New Zealand, Contact Energy, The Warehouse and Trademe.

Dan Emery

Creator Relations

Dan is an award-winning industrial designer, fresh from a leading New Zealand furniture design company, Design Mobel. He graduated top of his class in 2006 with a thesis that explored the application of digital technologies in design and manufacture. The table produced by the project won an award from the Dowse Museum in Wellington, New Zealand and was a finalist in various other competitions.

John Lewis

User Evangelist

John has founded a number of successful e-commerce companies and, before joining Ponoko, was employed by one of New Zealand's leading web consulting firms, Intergen.

Nahum Wild

Chief Technology Officer

Paul Flewelling

Senior Developer

James Kirkus-Lamont

Interactive Designer

James has experience as a graphic designer, art editor and web designer.

Special thanks to people who have worked directly with us:

Stephen Kempton - blog editor, Sally Coe - User experience consultant extraordinaire, Ross Stevens - Industrial design consultant, Jason O'Hara & Origin Design - Branding, Michael Metzger - Writer, Richard Hovey - Industrial design consultant, Nic Ward-Able - Marketing, Jillian de Beer - International Marketing, Brian Sweeney & Sarah Tan - Public Relations, Nick Gerritsen - Corporate Development

Big shout outs:

To all of our beta users - we could not have done this without you! And to those of you who've just kept on supporting us:

Nathan and James at Conscious Design, Yana, Brad, Daniel N, Nat, Annabel, Charlotte, Welfe, Zef, Kate, Phil, Simon, Jeff, Tim, Stephen J, Bob, Steve B, Dan L, Styler, Martha, Anna and Sally at Paper Tin, Vanessa, Nathan, Thomas, Hannah, Rebecca, Bex & Tim, Mark, Jamie, Louise, Andy L, Jan, the Friday 'bake-off' team and several Wellington baristas.