Tessa grew up on a farm in the Tuki Tuki Valley in Havelock North and was educated in Havelock North. This was followed with a Diploma in Landscape Design at Massey University.

Tessa has three beautiful children, Emma, Rebecca and Jack. She farmed goats and grew asparagus on a lifestyle block in Hastings, then farmed in the Nothern Hawke's Bay region on a hill country farm and in the Waverly District - dairy grazing and cropping production (one year taking out top prize in the regional farming competition)

Tessa has been in the real estate industry since 2003, initially specialising in the residential market , Tessa has broadened her area now covering residential / lifestlye and rural.