Maria previously worked as the Right of First Refusal Manager and Registered Legal Executive for Ngai Tahu Holdings Limited for 8 years, where she was responsible for overseeing the acquisition and disposal process for land offered by Crown entities under Part 9 of the Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998. The role involved assessing property opportunities, maintaining statutory compliance, and coordinating legal and conveyancing processes

Maria worked closely with Crown agencies, including Align, APL, TPG and WSP, as well as local rūnanga, councils, property developers, agents and prospective purchasers, and various government departments, including the Police and DoC. Maria loves the detail and complexity that comes with crown work, and she loves investigations and negotiations.

Maria is originally from London, spent a few years living in Morocco and Melbourne, and has lived in NZ for 25 years. Maria is a regular at the Pub Quiz, with her specialist subject being anything movie/director related, and is hoping to keep that going when she gets to Hamilton. Maria is also a Judicial Justice of the Peace and has two Brussels Griffon dogs called Doug and Eddie, who are making the move to Hamilton with her.