Robin descends from Raukawa (ki Waikato) and Ngāti Tamatea (Hauraki). Alumni of both Otago and Lincoln Universities, she has a Bachelor of Parks and Recreation Management, a Masters degree focussed on cultural resource management, and a Doctorate in Public Health, with a focus on children, their physical activity and its locational context. 

Robin is a Lecturer in Hauora Māori / Māori Health at Te Roopū Rakahau Hauora Māori o Kāi Tahu / Ngāi Tahu Māori Research Unit, based in Te Tari Hauora Tūmatanui / Department of Preventative and Social Medicine at Te Whare Wānaka o Otago / University of Otāgo.