After completing a law degree at the University of Canterbury and being admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor, Gemma's career began as a Consumer Advisor at a Forensic Psychiatric Service in New Zealand. She then completed two international internships - with the World Federation for Mental Health (USA) and the World Health Organisation (Geneva, Switzerland). Later, Gemma returned to the World Federation for Mental Health - as their Africa Initiative Secretariat Coordinator based in Cape Town, South Africa. 

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Upon resettling in New Zealand she worked as a Portfolio Manager at the Southern District Health Board, where she was responsible for strategic planning and funding of mental health and addiction services, and managing an annual funding budget of $85 million NZD. 

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Gemma has been working as a part-time consultant/contractor since 2008 for both government and NGOs, on a wide range of projects spanning quality improvement, project management and research. She has worked on small and large contracts, including a 2.5 year contract for a national coalition of disabled people's organisations, leading a project to monitor New Zealand's implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

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Gemma is committed to the mental health and addiction consumer, peer support and lived experience (CPSLE) workforce. She has experience in a range of roles across this workforce, including as a peer support worker and as a manager of a peer support and advocacy service. Currently Gemma is working part-time for Te Whatu Ora Southern, where she is a lived experience project manager, leading projects to develop the Southern CPSLE workforce and developing a model of care for peer-governed services. Much of her recent contracting work has focused on the CPSLE workforce - including working on the CPSLE Competencies, the Workforce Development Action Plan and a Training Needs Analysis.

 

Gemma has a strong focus on professional development and learning. In 2018 she graduated with a Postgraduate Diploma in Health Management (with Distinction) from the University of Otago, and attended a summer school on Global Mental Health at King's College in London. In 2019 she completed intentional peer support (IPS) training. In 2020 she competed healthcare auditor training and a postgraduate paper in mental health law. 

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In 2022 Gemma was appointed to the Manatū Hauora (Ministry of Health) Expert Advisory Group on the Repeal and Replacement of the Mental Health Act.