[2] The following season he was signed to the reserve side of Wellington Phoenix of the A-League.
He made two appearances for the club in 2019 OFC Champions League qualification, scoring three goals.
[1][16] After qualifying as champions of the 2017 OFC U-17 Championship, he was then part of the squad that advanced to the round of 16 in the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
[7] In March 2022 it was confirmed that Mata had committed to representing the Cook Islands internationally and had been included in the nation’s squad for 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification.
[17][18] He went on to make his senior international debut on 17 March 2022 in the opening match against the Solomon Islands.