Wirihana attributes Dame Rangimarie Hetet, Diggeress Te Kanawa and Emily Schuster as major influences but states her mother as being her most significant teacher.
[8] Wirihana is currently a senior lecturer at Toihoukura, the Māori visual arts school at Eastern Institute of Technology, and has previously been fibre tutor at Waiariki Polytechnic in Rotorua.
"[11] Wirihana was the chairperson of Te Roopu Raranga Whatu o Aotearoa (National Collective of Māori Weavers in New Zealand) from 2011 to 2017.
One is described as plaited from undyed kiekie leaf strips in an all-over twilled pattern of horizontal bands of diamonds.
[16] The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa holds a whariki (mat) woven by Wirihana and her mother, Matekino Lawless.