Maria is a multidisciplinary creative with a background spanning graphic design, radio broadcasting and production, campaign strategy, voice work and narration, music composition and a specialty in kaupapa Māori communications.

Her career began behind the mic 22 years ago and it has evolved into leading communications, design, and project management across iwi, community, and regional kaupapa.  

Throughout her career, Maria has delivered voice work and bilingual narration for a wide range of iwi stations and kaupapa. Her voice has carried across Moana FM (Tauranga), Āti Awa Toa FM (Lower Hutt), Bridge FM (Ōpōtiki), Arawa FM and The Heat FM (Rotorua), and Maniapoto FM (Tainui). She is the voice behind multiple campaigns and audio pieces, including Whakatāne District’s 'Our Place', iwi storytelling projects like Ngā Puaroa Horonuku and 'Karanga', and the internationally broadcast ‘Mataatua – The House That Came Home’ for BBC Radio.

Maria’s strength lies in weaving story, message, and identity into every layer of creative output. Her work isn’t limited to design or voice — it’s about seeing the whole picture. Whether she's shaping a campaign, designing formal publications, creating messaging systems, or voicing kaupapa-based content, she brings cohesion, depth, and calm to the process.

She is also a proud mother of two — Te Rae o Kōhi (14) and Ihorei Te Kahukura (9) — who remain at the centre of her world and her why.

Maria is currently the National Communications Advisor for NWR where she is able to bring her skillset into the taiao/environmental space with a particular focus on indigenous biodiversity work, mātauranga Māori and whenua Māori.