Lynette Stewart

Stewart was born in Whangārei and grew up in Whananaki. Her siblings include politician Winston Peters, Northland Regional Councillor Jim Peters and Northland Rugby Union chairman Wayne Peters.^[3] She is Māori, of Ngātiwai, Patuharakeke, and Tainui iwi.^[2] She earned a master's degree from the University of Auckland with a thesis examining the significance of Māori health providers within the New Zealand health system.^[4]

She was chair of the Northland District Health Board from 2001 to 2009.^[5] She then went on to serve as head of Kia Ora Ngati Wai Health Trust.^[6] Stewart has also served as a member of the National Health Committee, the Public Health Advisory Committee and the Health Workforce Advisory Committee. She was a member of the ACC Review Committee, the Treaty of Waitangi Public Information Advisory Programme Board, the Maori Rural Training Consortium and is a past president of the New Zealand Association of Social Workers.^[3]

In 2003, Stewart received the Dame Mira Szazy Maori Business Leadership Award from the University of Auckland Business School. In the 2006 Queen's Birthday Honours, she was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to health administration.^[7] In 2008 she received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Auckland.^[2]