It's just gone 8.45am, she's taking her three-year-old to day care, she's fending off a pesky reporter on hands free, dispelling myths, contemplating the essence of the Bay of Plenty and pondering a vision for a billion dollar industry.

It's a busy morning and Kristin Dunne wasn't even in the office when Weekend Sun spoke to the new CEO of Tourism Bay of Plenty.

Kristin's only been in the job a few days and is already right in the groove.

'‘Laid back sophistication” is how she personally verbalises the one special thing about Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty.

'You can really go have a laid back day, you can also have wonderful coffee, wine and food, and you don't have to feel too formal about it.”

The CEO is working on project to nail the city's essence, the special thing that sets Tauranga apart.

'Because all of us as citizens of Tauranga would probably struggle to verbalise it,” says Kristin.

'We need to be able to say hey! – this is the reason to come to the Bay.”

That's where Tourism Bay of Plenty's residents' programme kicks in.

'What do locals think and feel about the Bay. What do they do with their friends and family when they come visit the Bay?”

Isn't it great that the ideal candidate for one of region's most crucial jobs was found right at our backdoor.

'Yes, it's quiet nice and very, very exciting.”

Even though she was already 2IC at Tourism Bay of Plenty and its marketing manager, she wasn't a shoe in.

'I went through a very independent, very robust process.”

Kristin saw off some top flight contenders.

She has a 90 day plan.

But the industry, the stakeholders, the funders and the board will get to hear it first.

'But we're going to require infrastructure and new products.” Like what? 'There you go,” she remonstrates. 'You want to talk specifically when we agreed to talk generally.”

Kristin Dunne is media savvy.

And what of the perception that after a walk around or up the Mount there is little else for tourists?

'That is just a myth.”

There has been huge growth in tourism over the past two years, 18 per cent growth.

Kristin Dunne reels off facts and figures about what cruise line passengers do and where they go to dismantle a popular misconception.

She is a proud and confirmed advocate for the Bay of Plenty.

'Look, I have lived here for seven years and now absolutely consider it my home. The place has a special quality to it.”

Kristin has held some high powered jobs since leaving AUT with a bachelor degree in business studies majoring in marketing.

Before joining Tourism Bay of plenty, she had dabbled in tourism.

'It's one of my fondest memories. I worked at Rainbow's End for three years.

'That's tourism. I operated rides and also supervised. I absolutely loved it.”

She has moved on and up.

'My impressions of tourism in the Bay of Plenty is that it's enormously exciting.”

She says there's huge growth, and she 'absolutely believes that will continue” and she 'wholly believes we are going to achieve our vision for a billion dollar industry”.

That's all very exciting. 'But there's a lot of work to be done,” says Kristin.