Philipa is a qualified lawyer who has professional experience working for the Wellington Tenths Trust, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission in Melbourne, and the New Zealand Human Rights Commission. She has also worked for the Department of Māori and Pacific Health, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences (University of Auckland), the Children's Issues Centre (University of Otago), the NZ Children's Commissioner and the City of Manukau Education Trust.
Philipa made a significant contribution to The Complexity of Community and Family Influences on Children's Achievement in New Zealand: Best Evidence Synthesis, a major project researched and written by The Biddulph Group for the New Zealand Ministry of Education in 2002/2003.
Philipa has also made significant contributions to voluntary work in the area of children's rights.
Through her various professional, consultancy and voluntary roles, Philipa has developed significant expertise in report writing, editing professional documents, preparing and presenting submissions (including to parliamentary select committees) and has also developed a range of information technology skills.