[1] Of Cook Islands heritage, Tangaroa was born in Auckland, New Zealand, and grew up in Christchurch.
[4] She studied photography at the University of Canterbury School of Fine Arts, before returning to the Cook Islands in 1998.
[4] In 1998, Ian George curated Paringa Ou, the first major exhibition of contemporary art by Cook Island artists residing in New Zealand featuring artists such as Ani O'Neill, Sylvia Marsters, Mahiriki Tangaroa, Michel Tuffery, Jim Vivieaere, Ian George, and Kay George, the exhibition travelled to the National Museum in Fiji, Cook Islands National Museum, as well as Gus Fisher Gallery in Auckland, New Zealand.
[6] In 2000 Tangaroa was appointed director of the Cook Islands National Museum, a position she held for three years.
[12] In 2022, Tangaroa had a solo exhibition titled Kaveinga – Angels of the Ocean, presented by Bergman Gallery in Venice, Italy as part of European Cultural Centre: Personal Structures coinciding Venice Biennale.