Career
She was an Member of Parliament from 1967 to 1996, representing the Labour Party. At the time of her retirement, she was the second longest-serving Member of Parliament in Parliament, being in her tenth term of office. She was one of twenty holders of the Order of New Zealand, the highest honour of the country.
She studied for a Doctor of Philosophy in political science at the Australian National University, with the topic "Contemporary Maori Political Involvement".
Tirikatene stood unsuccessfully for the Labour Party in the 1963 election and 1966 election for Rangiora
Tirikatene-Sullivan was first elected to Parliament in the Southern Maori by-election of 1967, which was prompted by the death of the long-serving incumbent—her father Sir Eruera Tirikatene. Between 1972 and 1975 she was the Minister of Tourism.
She was Minister for the Environment from 1974 to 1975. She was re-elected by substantial majorities until the 1996 election, when the Southern Maori electorate was abolished in the transition to MMP. Tirikatene-Sullivan then contested the new Te Tai Tonga electorate, which covered much of the same territory as the old Southern Maori electorate, but she was narrowly defeated by Tu Wyllie of New Zealand First.
She subsequently retired from politics.
She died in Wellington on 20 July 2011.