Mel belongs to two Māori tribes in Aotearoa New Zealand, Ngāti Porou, and Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa.

She works for the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment (MBIE), as a Commercial Leader in a deployable team of commercial experts within government, that provides advice and support to agencies on their important commercial projects.

Her current deployment is with Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ), supporting New Zealand’s COVID-19 response.

Mel’s specialism is in supplier diversity and she is the Chair of the MBIE Internal Broader Outcomes Leadership Group, a forum that focuses on the operationalisation of government policies and mandates.