Kerensa is a lawyer who has worked as a solicitor in the private sector, as a Barrister, and as a legal academic at the Faculty of Law, University of Auckland, where she specialised in Māori legal development, public law, land law and international law.

Kerensa joined Wakatū as General Counsel in December 2012, and was appointed Chief Executive in 2016.

Kerensa is the Chair of Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga, the Māori Centre of Research Excellence and the Chair of Ngāti Tama ki te Tau Ihu Charitable Trust. She is a member of the International Association of Corporate Counsel, Corporate Lawyers’ New Zealand and Te Hunga Roia.

Her iwi are Ngāti Tama ki te Tauihu, Te Ātiawa, Ngāruahine and Ngāti Whāwhakia.