Carissa Proffit is an artist living in Waitati, Dunedin, who works in several media. Carissa was born in 1974. Her father is of European ancestry; her mother is of Ngati Wairere descent (a Tainui subtribe). Childhood was spent in Heriot, West Otago. She and her father now live in Dunedin, where her father is a shearer based in Waitati. Her media include flax weaving, driftwood, ceramics, painting, mosaic art, lace work, and Oamaru stone. Her work has been displayed in several South Island galleries.