Academic Qualifications

Cat holds a Bachelor of Performing Arts, a Post-graduate Diploma in Creative and Performing Arts and a Masters degree in Creative and Performing Arts from the University of Auckland’s dance studies programme. Cat’s Masters research was titled Choreographing Self-Determination for Indigenous Women for which she received First Class Honours. She is halfway through completing her Phd in arts leadership, and in 2021 the university awarded her with a ‘40 under 40 Influencer’ title. 

Artistic Career

After completing her training, Cat developed a body of award-winning performance works that explored the facets of Te Mana o Te Wahine. Her work toured nationally and internationally and Cat was invited to undertake residencies in New York, New Jersey, Berlin, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand. Cat has crafted live performance for theatre, gallery and film contexts, and has directed and produced other artists’ work. She has presented her practice-led arts research at conferences in New York, Australia and the UK and has worked as a dance writer, reviewer and critic.

Leadership Career

At a young age, Cat fell into arts education through a role she was offered at Manukau Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Faculty of Creative Arts. She became the Performing Arts Programme Leader there, and through the strong mentorship she received (both from her colleagues and her students) her leadership interest was sparked. Whilst on the teaching floor, Cat developed a nuanced pedagogy grounded deeply in Māori values, which still informs her leadership today. As a result of her teaching, Cat went on to develop an independent artist mentoring practice, taking some of our sector’s most promising Māori and Pasifika artists under her wing. 

Leaving MIT after nine years, Cat became the Artistic Director of Tempo Dance Festival, and is now the Executive Director of Basement Theatre. She is also the chair of HER Festival and a co-founder of arts activist group D.A.M.N (Dignity And Money Now). Cat frequently provides consultancy and advisory work across the sector for organisations such as youth organisation Ngā Rangatahi Toa and funding body Creative New Zealand. In 2022 she was part of the inaugural cohort for Te Taumata Toi ā Iwi’s Creative Leadership programme.