Steph Lewis
Lewis in 2023
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Whanganui
In office
17 October 2020 – 14 October 2023
Preceded byHarete Hipango
Succeeded byCarl Bates
Personal details
Born1987 or 1988 (age 35–36)
Whanganui, New Zealand[1]
Political partyLabour
SpouseRob Carr
Children2[2]

Stephanie Lewis (born 1987 or 1988)[3] is a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. She served as the Member of Parliament for Whanganui from 2020 to 2023.

Personal life

Lewis grew up in Whanganui and Waverley. She attended Whanganui City College and Victoria University of Wellington, where she studied law.[4] In 2004 she was a member of the New Zealand Youth Parliament, selected to represent Whanganui MP Jill Pettis.[5]

Lewis worked at the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) where she also became a trade union delegate. She later worked for the Privacy Commissioner.[4] Lewis is married to Rob Carr, who was a senior ministerial adviser to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.[6][7]

In February 2022, while she was pregnant, Lewis was harassed by anti-COVID vaccine mandate protestors outside Parliament, who threatened to lynch and kidnap her.[8]

Political career

New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate List Party
2020–2023 53rd Whanganui 55 Labour

Lewis won the Labour Party nomination for Whanganui in 2017 ahead of district councillor Philippa Baker-Hogan and moved from Wellington back to Whanganui to campaign full time.[9] Lewis was re-selected as Labour's candidate for Whanganui in the 2020 election. She was elected a week before Labour's annual conference, which was held in Whanganui for the first time in the party's history.[10]

Early returns in the 2020 general election placed her ahead of incumbent National Party MP Harete Hipango,[11] and she was declared the winner on 18 October 2020 with a majority of approximately 6,800 votes based on preliminary results.[12][13] Following the release of the final results on 6 November, Lewis' majority increased to 8,191 votes.[14]

During the 2023 New Zealand general election, Lewis was unseated by National candidate Carl Bates, who won by a margin of 5,512 votes.[15]

References

  1. ^ Ormond, Georgie (19 August 2020). "Local focus: Who is Steph Lewis, Labour candidate for Whanganui?". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  2. ^ "Opinion: So many to thank as family grows, says Whanganui MP". Stratford Press. 1 June 2022.
  3. ^ "Compare the candidates for Whanganui — NZ Election 2020". Your complete guide to NZ Election 2020 — Policy.
  4. ^ a b Groenestein, Catherine (16 March 2017). "Battle looms for Whanganui seat as candidates line up ahead of election". Stuff. Archived from the original on 23 July 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  5. ^ "Fourth Youth Parliament, 2004" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 December 2004.
  6. ^ "Lewis set for campaign – Whanganui Chronicle News". NZ Herald. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  7. ^ "Coronvirus: Beehive scrambled to contain email telling ministers to 'dismiss' questions about Covid-19 response". Stuff. 10 May 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  8. ^ "'I feared for my safety': Pregnant MP's harrowing ordeal with protesters". The New Zealand Herald. 15 February 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  9. ^ "Is Steph Lewis 'the bright future of Labour'?". Whanganui Chronicle. 11 March 2017. Archived from the original on 27 June 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  10. ^ "Steph Lewis returns as Labour Party's candidate in Whanganui". Stuff. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  11. ^ Heagney, George (17 October 2020). "Election 2020: Steph Lewis to claim Whanganui seat for Labour". Stuff. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  12. ^ Heagney, George (17 October 2020). "Election 2020: Labour flips Whanganui red as Steph Lewis claims seat". Stuff. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  13. ^ Tweed, Mike (17 October 2020). "Election 2020: Labour's Steph Lewis claims Whanganui in big win". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  14. ^ "Whanganui – Official Result". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  15. ^ "Whanganui - Official Result". Electoral Commission. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
New Zealand Parliament Preceded byHarete Hipango Member of Parliament for Whanganui 2020–2023 Succeeded byCarl Bates
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