
A network of joy, 15 years in the making
When we opened Degree Gastrobar back in 2003, In Da Club by 50 Cent was “gracing” the local radio stations as we hustled to create one of Auckland’s most cherished bars and restaurants. We learned that we weren’t just in the business of running bars, but connecting the hearts of Aucklanders to bring joy.
In the spirit of bringing people together, we honed our craft over the years and spread it across 20+ locations in a concoction made of one part familiar, one part fresh. Today, Aucklanders have more options than ever to connect with each other - we call it Joylab.

Businesses that reap rewards
Joylab is the brainchild of John Hellebrekers and Gavin Cowell - two experienced joymakers who ran their own iconic gastrobars, but came together over a simple idea. Working in hospitality since the age of 15, John found an approach that worked wonders - a pure desire to make people happy, while taking care of his own.
Backed by the taps, capital and know-how of DB breweries, Joylab’s 20+ locations are now unified by the same principles and a single new card - the Joylab Rewards Club.
“Taking someone from employee to business leader is the best part of the job; changing people’s lives”
Join the team that brings joy to Auckland’s neighbourhoods

John has been working in hospitality since 15 years of age, learning the ropes anyway he could to step up his game. Fast forward a few years (cough, decades, cough), and John has led countless teams, establishments and companies toward a single common ground - the desire to make people happy. Never one to shy away from a hard day’s work, John has been recognized by Hospitality New Zealand in the Hall of Fame, and even advises them on the board (no, he didn’t advise them to put him on the Hall of Fame…)
John gets the biggest kicks from seeing his people grow (a.k.a ‘grow the good’), both professionally and personally - especially over the past 10 years as managing director of Joylab (formerly Barworks). He’s a true embodiment of ‘people person’ in the office and out, electing to chose spare time with close family and friends at the beach and sipping on a good Scottish whisky when the time calls for it.

Andy is an experienced joymaker, smooth operator, and all round top bloke. His background started with an LLB/BCom from Auckland University before spending some time in France soaking up the European culture and picking up a few tips and tricks along the way. Since then, he’s been back in New Zealand where he has spent the past 10 years bringing joy to our business, both on the floor and as a board member. Andy loves the thrill of overcoming a good challenge, so he leans into them with full force and a desire to succeed. Being a family man, he’s a little bit of everything to everyone - including his taste buds, which will happily sip on any beverage so long as it’s shared among the people he loves.

Jamie comes from a spirited background in the UK working for some of the best bar and nightclub operators across London. After taking the leap to Kiwi soil, Jamie continued his craft which saw him selected onto the Hospitality New Zealand Auckland branch, appointed as Chairman of Asquith Institute of Studies Advisory, and joining the Joylab team. Jamie has also served on the board for the past few years.
Jamie is a fond mentor and family man who cares about the people around him; a notion dating back to his firefighting days (in fact, he was the youngest firefighter in Great Britain at the time). He is a firm believer a cold beer is best served when at the rugby club alongside close family and friends.

In 1982, Gavin poured his first beer as a bartender. It may have been in Australia, but it still counts. He picked it up like a champ, and before he knew it he was the General Manager of a hotel in Tasmania which boasted luxury accommodation, a 120 seat restaurant, cocktail bar, nightclub and drive through bottleshop. With heavy experience in tow, Gavin moved to Auckland where he teed up with John Hellebrekers (our managing director) to set up the local gem, Basalt, and the beginnings of what is now Joylab, of which Gavin is a proud board member.
Gavin is partial to a hearty smile, and he finds the most joy in seeing them between staff and customers alike. Surprisingly, he also likes smiling outside of work - especially in warmer climates and among family.

Hannah comes to Joylab wielding a palindrome name and a Bachelor of Business with HR & Finance, and she puts both to good use. Having experienced a bit of everything from engineering to advertising, she now joins the hospitality industry after proclaiming that she is a solid restaurant and bar “go-er”. Fair call.
At work, she lights up when her coaching efforts pay off - seeing the confidence and skill sets of employees improve and then making sure they’re recognised for it too. What a gem! Outside of this, she likes a good stroll out in nature or hanging with her mates. If those mates have any good stories then she’s a happy camper, especially if she’s sipping on a chilli margarita for that extra oomph.

Trained by City and Guilds of London, Tony brings exceptional cooking to the table at Joylab. After working across hotels, restaurants, wineries, events and consulting positions across the world, he brought his experience to New Zealand where he spent 5 years owning a restaurant in Hawkes Bay, being recognized as a finalist by Cervena Plates for ‘Best Service’.
Out of the kitchen, Tony is a keen timber fan. Not Justin Timberlake, but the stuff you’ll find at Mitre 10. The history and versatility of timber has led Tony to a love of buildings, furnishings and boat renovations. Similar to the world of wood, Tony is partial to a good Gin which also versatile for any occasion.

Matt “Candyman” Candy comes from humble roots in Rotorua, where he started a trainee management programme with the Tourist Hotel Corp of NZ. Since then, Matt has worked in an impressive range of industries from airports to schools, construction, horse racing and farming - but he came back to his roots in hospitality and hasn’t looked back (actually, he looked back at farming and now he lives on one with his wife and two children).
After project managing catering services for both U2 and Eminem, each hosting thousands of guests, Matt found his way to Joylab where he literally brought his experience to the table - something he’s happy to share with colleagues, suppliers and partners alike. When he’s not at the office, he can be found juggling his farm animals, sipping an oily chardonnay or enjoying a good botanical gin.

There’s no jollier Joymaker at Joylab than Jemma, and if you can get your head around that alliteration, so can she. With an impressive background in both hospitality and marketing, including at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney, there’s no better person to be leading the marketing zoo, ahem, team, and guiding Joylab’s eponymous brand into the hands of Aucklanders every day.
Two questions come to mind when we think about Jemma – one, can she say the alphabet backward in 4 seconds flat, and two, what does she do for laughs? Well, one is true (if you’re wondering), and is also the answer to two, along with being super social and loving seeing others have a bloody good time. This is what makes Jemma our jolliest joymaker, and if she’s not busy bringing joy to our customers, you’ll find her at her favourite spot, Lula’s, with a G&T in hand and a boogie in waiting.

Coming from a background as general manager at several iconic Auckland bars, Steve set his sights a little higher when he set up shop with Joylab. Steve kicked off in true form, helping Sale St (now Sweat Shop) win best redeveloped bar and best music entertainment value. Today, he’s proud to be a shareholder of The Elephant Wrestler, Franc's and Regatta.
When he’s not pulling strings at his establishments, Steve can be seen at the baseball field either coaching or playing. If not, he’s probably hanging with the family and cracking jokes to his two awesome kids. If he could, he’d sink a Mount Gay rum with a squeeze of fresh lime with JFK; eager to see what could have been in a world with his continued visionary leadership.

Sarah-Lee has been a winner since birth. Literally - she won a baby contest. She continued that notion through her life, winning sales rep of the year for Red Bull before moving on to become the general manager at several Auckland bars, and now shareholder of The Flying Moa.
Sarah-Lee is a keen social butterfly, darting between staff and customers with her smile dialed in. She also knows Japanese and enjoys learning other languages, which explains her love for travel. Sarah-Lee loves an Earl Grey Martini, and if that isn’t fancy enough she’d like to share one with the Queen of England because she thinks she would be a good laugh.

Lance has a vast suite of hospitality knowledge tucked away in his noggin, which grew over the space of 30 years in the industry (his knowledge, not his head). From handyman services through to fine dining and directing, he’s a true lance-of-all-trades; but his favourite part is watching the people around him grow and succeed. He believes in his work and his people, opting to become a shareholder of Joylab to have a greater input in the business.
Lance is feeling top-notch when he’s with his friends and whanau, especially if he can wrap his chops around a couple of beers. If that picture could get any better, he’d introduce Bob Marley due to his legendary inspiration.

After starting a small weekend job in a bar, Andy's love for the hospitality industry flourished, and he went on to open and own Coyote Street Bar in Tauranga for four years. A return to Auckland saw Andy working with hospitality industry stalwarts for another 8 years before bringing his rich experience to Joylab at Regatta.
Raised on a dairy farm, you wouldn't expect Andy to have grown up as a free diver, scuba diver and fisherman, but his whole family shared a love for New Zealand’s coastline and every spare weekend was spent in or on the water, which is why Regatta’s seafood themes fit Andy perfectly. Although a keen mixologist, Andy loves a good champagne - the endless pursuit of perfection is too good a ride to pass; unless the opportunity to have a beer with Richard Branson came up.

Mark’s hospitality journey started after studying business, where he worked his way up from dishie to catering for corporates at the 2002-2003 America’s Cup. Mark then took off to Edinburgh and London to open and run his own bars, which were so good that they got snapped up by Fullers. After moving back to New Zealand with his now wife, he found his way into Joylab circles, eventually leading to owning a stake in Sweat Shop - which he proudly claims is the best night out in Auckland on a Friday.
Mark can’t get enough of people smiling, both at work and at home. His own smile can be seen stretching far and wide over a good stout (brewed in-house at Sweat Shop), which can only be beaten should it be had in front of a Foo Fighters concert.

Dave boasts over 20 years of experience in hospitality, joining the Joylab team after spending 10 of those with our joint venture partner, DB Breweries. Since then, he’s become a shareholder and helped open several establishments including Garrison, Mama Loco, and Birdie’s. Not a bad effort, so far.
Dave, like many other leaders at Joylab, loves to see his staff grow and better themselves, especially when that growth comes as a positive surprise. Outside of Joylab, Dave is a keen angler and family man. He’s also partial to a classic Appletons and soda with a slice of fresh lime, which he’d share with Bill Clinton to share stories about improving life for others - even if he isn’t perfect (like Dave is).

Scott opened his first restaurant in Queenstown at the age of 24, then moved on to run bars and restaurants across the world in Australia, Spain and the UK. After successfully clocking the planet, Scott returned to New Zealand where he became a shareholder and helped launch The Postman’s Leg, now a local favourite on the North Shore of Auckland.
Scott loves to see a good transformation, but unlike slapping a wig on in Extreme Makeover he prefers to see people’s confidence soar as they work their way through the rewards of hospitality. Scott also loves his family, and takes quickly to anyone with a quirky sense of humour, which also explains why he’s a Dudley Moore fan. Scott is an avid Tiger beer drinker, and reckons it tastes just as good out of a bottle or can as it does fresh out of the tap.

Jamie comes from over 20 years in hospitality, ten of which were spent running bars in England before moving to New Zealand and starting up with Joylab. Soon after, he was appointed as general manager and is now part owner and operator of Moretons.
Jamie is always on the hunt for developing new, transferable skills that can be used in and out of the workplace with his staff. We’re not sure if fishing is that transferable, but it’s something he likes to do in his spare time. He’s also keen on a cold beer, which he prefers to share with his partner rather than his seven brothers and sisters - it’s just easier (and his partner is a barrel of laughs).

Her last name might also be a first name, but that’s just because Lisa is first in everything. She has managed events at Austins, everything at Kingslander, HR at Millennium Hotels and Resorts, while also holding a Diploma in Early Childhood. Aside from racking up all that experience, Lisa also dabbled in writing policies and even selling Lions tour packages to overseas clients.
At work, Lisa loves a full, pumping venue to manage and a bunch of chuffed grins on the faces of everyone. When the door closes, Lisa might be found with friends and family, travelling, or watching live sports. In fact, she loves a good Sol beer as it reminds her of old road trips with the girls. We wonder if she is ever reminded of the fact that she performed in the Nutcracker as a youngin?

Ben started out by washing dishes in Dunedin at the age of 15, then worked his way up the country and the ladder. From being the Assistant GM of a hotel in the Fox Glacier to a Food & Beverage Manager at a resort in the Cook Islands, then several other GM roles in Auckland and beyond - Ben knows his stuff.
He also knows how to make his guests happy, which is why they always come back. He follows a similar strategy at home, making the kids laugh (and ideally coming back too?). He loves a good gin and tonic, citing their classic and simple combo - unlike the people he would want to share one with - the drummer from heavy metal band Slipknot and the singer of Metallica.

Jay Zeylemaker has certainly made it - he started off in the hospitality industry with some part-time bartending while he studied, then fell in love with the industry and never looked back. A few jumps and skips later, and he now leads Goode Brothers in Botany with a smile on his dial.
That smile can be upgraded to a full-on grin when it’s a busy night and the team are bringing their A-game. Everyone’s stoked, staff and customers alike. Afterwards, you might catch Jay sinking a beer, hanging with his dog Bentley, or admiring the work of Leonardo DiCaprio in the Titanic (we don’t blame him).

Mike hails from London, UK where he spent 14 years learning the hopes of hospitality. Apparently he’s also a miracle worker, taking a failing business and turning it around within 1 year to be hugely successful. Like that turnaround, he loves to see staff starting off and working their way up to become confident people, both in and outside of work.
Mike is a fan of the world at large, hoping to see as much of it as possible - and if he can’t, he wouldn’t mind catching up with Neil DeGrasse Tyson to help him learn about the rest. If you can get a smooth 20 year Tawny Port in front of Mike, he might just be willing to admit that he’s a keen Downtown Abbey fan, but you didn’t read it here.

Jordan’s BA/BCom from the University of Auckland started him down a path of hospitality management; working his way up from kitchen-hand to general manager within 10 years. His experience even saw him run pop-up establishments from sunrise to sunset, single-handedly running the show to impress curious passersby - and impressing Joylab in the process; where he took on the role as Business Leader at Goode Brothers, New Lynn before jumping into our Viaduct hotspot, The Lula Inn.
Jordan’s favourite part of his role of Business Leader is seeing his team work closely together, as if a family. His love for tight-knit people follows him home, where he’s always keen to spend time with mates over a couple of drinks. He’s also keen on coffee, swearing by it for his daily routines - routines he’d gladly leave behind for the day if he could spend it with Robin Williams for a drink and a laugh.

John made strides in hospitality after working his way up the Skytower (literally), from bartender to manager. With his diploma in Hospitality Management in hand, he then took to the seas, where he managed food, beverages and bars on various cruise lines. John’s skills reaped rewards, with a creative streak that saw new wine pairings increase wine sales over 25% (among other achievements).
John is now heading up one of Joylab’s newest establishments, The Gipsy Moth - where his creative prowess will bring a splash of fresh air to the Auckland Airport. John’s affinity for people works wonders, among staff, friends and family alike. He’s partial to an old-fashioned, which he would share among close friends because “you can laugh with them, admit your sins and be fully yourself without any act”. Wise words.

Praveen is cool, but not too cool for school. He studied a Degree in Hospitality Management with majors in Food & Beverage, so he definitely knows his stuff. It was a smart move, because he quickly landed top-notch jobs at Rydges Auckland, Assistant Manager for VIP at a casino, owning his own cafe, then business leader at Basalt. That’s a bloody good roll call.
It wasn’t just an on-point degree that got him here. He loves the work because every day is different, and working with a diverse crew keeps him on his toes. When it’s time to give those toes a break, you might find him hanging out with his son, ogling at cars, or sipping on a CC and dry with a couple of mates.

Jason could give Jack a run for his money as a man of all trades - spanning across the last 40 years, Jason has been dipping his toe into all pools of the hospitality world at some of New Zealand's most iconic restaurants and across some of the largest world events held in New Zealand, a highlight being the Rugby World Cup 2011. Can we unofficially say that Jason had a hand in winning us the World Cup? Maybe not, but we will anyway - thanks Jason.
Jason sees operating a venue like a rough gem, no matter what angle you look at - it's bound to sparkle and Five Knots has plenty of that! While he always goes the extra mile to make your day, what makes Jason's day is spending time with his lovely partner and son, even watching grass grow would be time well spent with these guys. He's a big New Zealand Pinot Noir fan and wouldn't mind sharing one with Elon Musk - we'll see what we can do Jason.