Che was raised in a large whānau in Ohakune at the foot of Koro Ruapehu. Che has had a varied career and had the rare experience of being Chair, CE and chief negotiator of his iwi, a Deputy Secretary for the Ministry for the Environment, was president of Te Pāti Māori and was initiated into his iwi whare wānanga prior to entering secondary school.
Che is Poukura (Director) of Naia Limited, a Māori consultancy based in Christchurch and Waikato. Through Naia, Che focuses principally in the tūpuna wisdom space as a guest speaker, researcher, leadership mentor, facilitator, resource developer and a podcaster on a range of social media platforms as well strategy and facilitation.
Che is a director on Ātihau-Whanganui Incorporation (brand name AWHI) which supplies red meat, dairy, fibre and manuka honey to the local and export markets, is the chair of Te Reo o Whanganui, a board focused on the revitalisation of the Whanganui dialect and a board member of Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga. He was also part of the first Māori delegation of Te Hono Movement in 2013 to Stanford University and again in 2014.