I affiliate to iwi and hapu of Mōkai Pātea, Ngāti Uenuku, Te Atihaunui-ā-Paparangi and Te Aitanga ā Mahaki through my father, Sonny Hiroa.

I affiliate to Te Ātiawa, Toa Rangatira and Ngāti Tama through my mother, Una Hiroa.

I am one of two Ngai Te Ohuake representatives appointed to the Mōkai Pātea Services Trust board.

I left Taihape in 1983 and returned in 2013, after living in Auckland and Wellington.

Work Experience

My work experience includes health, education, central government policy, and organisation planning & performance.

I worked as a RGON at Taihape Hospital from 1976 until my whānau shifted to Auckland in 1983. I worked at Middlemore Hospital and then for the Auckland Nursing Bureau while training as a primary school teacher.  I taught in South Auckland for five years before shifting to Wellington and returning to health.

Since the 1990’s I’ve held senior management positions, first for Hutt Valley Health followed by the Ministry of Health and Te Puni Kōkiri. Prior to shifting home, I worked as the Director Planning & Performance for Te Ohu Kaimoana, the Māori Fisheries Commission.

My whānau, whānau whanui, and my upbringing in Taihape, provided me with a strong set of values, and the passion and commitment to Iwi Māori, and for rural communities. My mother’s involvement with whakapapa, marae and hapū matters while living in Mōkai Pātea and then later with her own people and the Waiwhetu Treaty of Waitangi claims, rubbed off on me and hence my happy involvement with Mōkai Pātea iwi since my return.