Teina is of Tūhoe and Ātiuan descent. She chairs a number of Māori indigenous action organisations at a tribal, sub-tribal and government partnership level. This includes 35 years as an indigenous Māori educator, linguist, soil scientist, researcher and archivist, historian and currently a tribal leader and pakeke (elder). Teina is a food grower and forest farmer. She is also currently Co-chair of The national Te Waka Kai Ora organisation – the only Māori indigenous organic food verification system in the world. She chairs the National Māori Community Language Commission’s research unit at Te Mātāwai and is the co-founder of the Takarangi Circular Economy Model: A maōri circular economy framework that considers the tipping point of planetary boundaries from a distinctly māori perspective, in other words, rejuvenating biodiversity, effective practical measures for addressing closed waste systems, carbon emissions, arresting global pollution at the very source. She is currently completing a doctoral thesis on pūrākau and tikanga māori relevant to philosophies and the belief systems of her people.