About

Renate Metzler | Venue Manager
White + Wong's Viaduct

Our Venue Manager Renate Metzler, was raised in the hospitality industry from a young age, began her career at her father's restaurant, Der Metz. Here she started learning about all different aspects of hospitality and falling in love with the idea of running a restaurant one day. She has worked for multiple other restaurants gaining experience in all different roles from bartending to waitressing and management.

Renate started at White + Wong’s for the open in 2016 and has since worked her way up from a waitress role, to now running this venue since 2022.

Thu Ya Naing | Head Chef
White + Wong’s Viaduct

Born and raised in a large family in Yangon, Myanmar, our Head Chef Thu Ya was inspired by his aunts’ passion for cooking to become a chef. After finishing his training at Baiyoke Kandawyki, he moved to New Zealand in 2003 and started his career at the Hotel Grant Chancellor Auckland as a Junior Chef. He has worked as Sous Chef and Executive Sous Chef for 5-star hotels and restaurants, including the Langham, Stamford Plaza and Bracu, before joining White + Wong’s Viaduct as Head Chef in 2020.

Thu Ya’s passion for cooking multi-cultural cuisine is second to none and you can literally taste the love he puts into each dish. Thu Ya is the brain behind many of White + Wong’s iconic signature dishes and we are so happy to have him on the team.

Sonya Chan | General Manager
White + Wong's

Our General Manager, Sonya Chan started in the role of Venue Manager as part of the opening team at our first White + Wong's in Auckland's Viaduct in 2016.

Before joining Good Group, she had accumulated a wealth of hospitality experience having spent over eight years at the award-winning Molten Restaurant in Mt Eden, and other renowned Auckland establishments, such as Veranda Bar & Grill (VBG) and Pontoon.

Sonya’s expert skills and professionalism have been recognised at the highly respected Annual Lewisham Awards, ‘Auckland’s Hospitality Oscars’, where she has been nominated multiple times and a winner in the Outstanding Maître d’ category. The Outstanding Maître d’ category acknowledges hospitality professionals who demonstrate strong leadership skills to their team and are the professional ‘face of their establishment’.

Sonya's background in hospitality is complemented by her broad retail experience, having successfully owned two businesses prior to finding her niche in the hospitality industry.