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Steph Lewis

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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

[edit]

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

[edit]
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

[edit]
  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 by Member of Parliament for Whanganui
2020–2023 		Succeeded by
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