Jacinta is Kaitiaki Mātauranga Māori at Hocken Collections, a research library, archive and gallery, part of the University of Otago Library in Dunedin. She holds a Master's in Anthropology from Otago and a Master's in Information Studies from Victoria, University of Wellington. She has been involved in archaeological fieldwork in Cambodia, Thailand and all over New Zealand. Her research interests relate to landscapes and heritage management, relationships and identity.