[1] She has been teaching te reo Māori at Kaipara College since 2013, and as of 2023[update] is the school's deputy principal.
[1] She has said she was inspired to write the story after meeting Matariki expert Rangi Mātāmua and hearing him speak as part of her te reo language studies.
[4][5] Kua Whetūrangitia A Koro won the Wright Family Foundation Te Kura Pounamu Award for a children's book in te reo Māori at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults in 2023.
[1][6] The judge's comments said:[7] Kua Whetūrangitia a Koro is a traditional Māori narrative tailored to fit a new world and a new audience.
[1] The Spinoff said that the book "tackles the concept of death in a beautiful way: gently framing the deeply personal within the great stories written in the sky".