Cherish grew up in Turanganui-ā-Kiwa and has whakapapa to Ngāti Porou and Rongowhakaata. She specialises in communications advisory, development and delivery and has extensive experience in Māori development kaupapa; community engagement; digital communications; marketing; and project management. She is now working as the Principal Māori Communications Advisor at the Department of Internal Affairs, and a Sub-Committee member for Hiruharama Marae Ruatoria, driving the development and implementation of their Marae Development. She is passionate about leveraging storytelling for positive impact and building strong networks.