Cora-Allan is a multidisciplinary artist of Māori (Ngāpuhi, Tainui) and Niue (Alofi, Liku) descent, originally from Waitakere. In recent years her practice has focused on her efforts to revive the art form of Hiapo, prior to this she completed her Masters in Visual Art and Design in Performance from AUT (2013), also receiving a AUT Postgraduate Deans award for her research. 

A contemporary practitioner of the Niuean tradition of barkcloth known as hiapo, she is credited with reviving the "sleeping artform" which has not been practised in Niue for several generations. Her 'samplers' show her skill and draw attention to hiapo's components - white cloth (unlike the tan ground of the cloth prevalent across much of Polynesia) and the decorative elements - delicate botanical drawings and abstract patterns. Unlike lots of women across the Pacific, Cora-Allan was unable to learn her craft sitting alongside older women and has had to research and teach herself. Her work is very important to the Niuean community and has been exhibited in Australia, Aotearoa, England and Niue. 

She has exhibited her work throughout Aotearoa and internationally including Australia, Niue, England and Canada. 

Her work is a part of major collections including The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Auckland War Memorial Museum and the Wallace Arts Trust. Cora-Allan was recently undertook the McCahon House Residency (2021), Mana Moana and Te Whare Residency in Wellington (2021), received the Creative New Zealand Pacific Heritage Artist award (2020) and received Annual Arts Grant funding to focus full time on her Hiapo practice in 2021.

She is a founding member of BC COLLECTIVE and is a maker of Hiapo (Niuean Barkcloth).