Waqanika started work in 1997 as a Legal Officer at the Fiji Prime Minister's Policy Analysis Unit.
In 1998 she moved to the Fiji Revenue and Customs Authority before taking a job with the Suva City Council as a solicitor and legal manager.
In 2007 she was appointed Legal Manager at Fiji Television Limited, later holding other roles, including Head of Content and Local Production.
In 2019, she was nominated by the Social Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA) to be the Speaker of Parliament but was beaten by Epeli Nailatikau by 30 votes to 21.
As SODELPA was only eligible for 3 Parliamentary seats, Waqanika failed to qualify for one and lost her bid for re-election.