[1][2] Manderson grew up in Christchurch and attended Hagley College and the University of Canterbury, graduating with a bachelor of science.
[3] She progressed through uniformed and CIB roles and in 1993 was appointed the first director of the Crime Prevention Unit at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in Wellington.
She then held positions in Wellington District as a shift commander, and at Police National Headquarters.
[2] In 2002 Manderson returned to Canterbury to serve as District Commander for six years.
In 2004 she travelled to Phuket, Thailand, to lead a disaster victim identification team in the wake of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.