She came to Te Puni Kōkiri from the Iwi Transition Agency typing pool. Her first boss was Policy Manager, Ann Carter.

From there she can cite a long list of managers she has worked with including Michelle Hippolite, Paora Howe, Mike Hollings, Gary Dyall, Michelle Ewington, Tipene Chrisp, Lucy Te Moana and Lisa Davies to name a few.

Her ‘get on with it’ attitude has made her an important extra-pair-of-hands in head office when other teams need back up and support. Today, she’s one of three administrators working to the policy wahanga. She currently reports to Cultural Wealth Manager, Cath Nesus.

Although she prefers to work behind the scenes, Sue has been a familiar face at our reception desk over the years working with her colleague and close friend, the late Hika Tangitu. She fondly recalls another TPK close friend - Uncle Bert Mackie, who when partnered up with, were a wicked team in the card game Euchre.

A sports fanatic, Sue is the popular go-to-person for many Te Puni Kōkiri in-house and business house sporting events.

From the early Tū Tāngata tournaments, Sue has helped organize, assist and participate in TPK indoor netball, touch rugby, dragon boat, the run around Lake Taupō relay, and annual Rotorua marathon teams – she’s been involved in them all.

Nowadays she is happy to just be an organiser or assist with any events and insists she’s leaving all the participation to the younger ones in Te Puni Kōkiri.

Of her time at TPK she says she’s lucky because work has always supported her sports training and other developments like learning te reo Maori. “I have always enjoyed my job because it has given me lots of variety; and over the years working here has offered me and my whānau great security."