Steph Lewis
{{short description|New Zealand politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Steph Lewis
| honorific-suffix =
| image = Profile--stephlewis-390x2-UNC.jpg
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| caption = Lewis in 2023
| order =
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| predecessor =
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| primeminister =
| constituency_MP3 = {{NZ electorate link|Whanganui}}
| term_start3 = 17 October 2020
| term_end3 = 14 October 2023
| parliament3 = New Zealand
| predecessor3 = Harete Hipango
| successor3 = Carl Bates
| birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date|32|2020}}
| birth_place = Whanganui, New Zealand{{cite news |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/local-focus-who-is-steph-lewis-labour-candidate-for-whanganui/42OO3AWYTD7AZHVUG23DAU6TU4/ |title=Local focus: Who is Steph Lewis, Labour candidate for Whanganui? |date=19 August 2020 |first=Georgie |last=Ormond |work=The New Zealand Herald |access-date=19 March 2022}}
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| party = Labour
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| spouse = Rob Carr
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}}
Stephanie Lewis (born {{birth based on age as of date|32|2020|noage=1}}){{Cite web|title=Compare the candidates for Whanganui — NZ Election 2020|url=https://policy.nz/|website=Your complete guide to NZ Election 2020 — Policy}} is a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. She served as the Member of Parliament for {{NZ electorate link|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.{{cite news |author=Groenestein, Catherine |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/90489657/battle-looms-for-whanganui-seat-as-candidates-line-up-ahead-of-election |title=Battle looms for Whanganui seat as candidates line up ahead of election |date=16 March 2017 |work=Stuff |access-date=24 March 2020 |archive-date=23 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170723020028/http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/90489657/Battle-looms-for-Whanganui-seat-as-candidates-line-up-ahead-of-election |url-status=live }} In 2004 she was a member of the New Zealand Youth Parliament, selected to represent Whanganui MP Jill Pettis.{{cite web |url=http://www.myd.govt.nz/media/pdf/youthparliament04.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041213085636/http://www.myd.govt.nz/media/pdf/youthparliament04.pdf |title=Fourth Youth Parliament, 2004 |archive-date=13 December 2004}}
Lewis worked at the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) where she also became a trade union delegate. She later worked for the Privacy Commissioner. Lewis is married to Rob Carr, who was a senior ministerial adviser to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.{{Cite web|title=Lewis set for campaign – Whanganui Chronicle News|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/whanganui-chronicle/news/lewis-set-for-campaign/IIBP57MCJZOXFEZMTEURYXNM54/|access-date=30 January 2022|website=The New Zealand Herald |language=en-NZ}}{{Cite web|date=10 May 2020|title=Coronvirus: Beehive scrambled to contain email telling ministers to 'dismiss' questions about Covid-19 response|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/121465406/coronvirus-beehive-scrambled-to-contain-email-telling-ministers-to-dismiss-questions-about-covid19-response|access-date=30 January 2022|website=Stuff |language=en}}
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.{{cite news |title='I feared for my safety': Pregnant MP's harrowing ordeal with protesters |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-convoy-protest-at-parliament-pregnant-mp-steph-lewis-protesters-threatened-to-lynch-or-kidnap-me-staff/M47SWG3ZSOQEHYH7D34AAC7OVM/ |access-date=29 January 2023 |work=The New Zealand Herald |date=15 February 2022 |language=en-NZ}}
Political career
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{{NZ parlbox
|term=53rd
|start={{NZ election link year|2020}}
|end=2023
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|party=New Zealand Labour Party
|electorate={{NZ electorate link|Whanganui}}
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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.{{cite news |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/wanganui-chronicle/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503426&objectid=11812685 |title=Is Steph Lewis 'the bright future of Labour'? |date=11 March 2017 |work=Whanganui Chronicle |access-date=24 March 2020 |archive-date=27 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170627141410/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/wanganui-chronicle/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503426&objectid=11812685 |url-status=live }} 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.{{Cite news|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/117494315/steph-lewis-returns-as-labour-partys-candidate-in-whanganui|title=Steph Lewis returns as Labour Party's candidate in Whanganui|work=Stuff|access-date=24 March 2020|archive-date=13 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191213092130/https://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/117494315/steph-lewis-returns-as-labour-partys-candidate-in-whanganui|url-status=live}}
Early returns in the 2020 general election placed her ahead of incumbent National Party MP Harete Hipango,{{Cite news|last=Heagney|first=George|date=17 October 2020|title=Election 2020: Steph Lewis to claim Whanganui seat for Labour|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300135141/election-2020-steph-lewis-to-claim-whanganui-seat-for-labour|access-date=17 October 2020|work=Stuff|language=en}} and she was declared the winner on 18 October 2020 with a majority of approximately 6,800 votes based on preliminary results.{{Cite news|last=Heagney|first=George|date=17 October 2020|title=Election 2020: Labour flips Whanganui red as Steph Lewis claims seat|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300135141/election-2020-labour-flips-whanganui-red-as-steph-lewis-claims-seat|access-date=18 October 2020|website=Stuff|language=en}}{{Cite news|last=Tweed|first=Mike|date=17 October 2020|title=Election 2020: Labour's Steph Lewis claims Whanganui in big win|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/whanganui-chronicle/news/election-2020-labours-steph-lewis-claims-whanganui-in-big-win/TEO5UUKMPSIAICDAO6AEHPDFPI/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018135953/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/whanganui-chronicle/news/election-2020-labours-steph-lewis-claims-whanganui-in-big-win/TEO5UUKMPSIAICDAO6AEHPDFPI/|archive-date=18 October 2020|access-date=18 October 2020|work=The New Zealand Herald|language=en-NZ}} Following the release of the final results on 6 November, Lewis' majority increased to 8,191 votes.{{cite web |title=Whanganui – Official Result |url=https://electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2020/electorate-details-62.html |publisher=Electoral Commission |access-date=8 November 2020 }}
During the 2023 New Zealand general election, Lewis was unseated by National candidate Carl Bates, who won by a margin of 5,512 votes.{{cite web |title=Whanganui - Official Result |url=https://archive.electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2023/electorate-details-62.html |publisher=Electoral Commission |access-date=18 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231123104124/https://archive.electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2023/electorate-details-62.html |archive-date=23 November 2023 |date=3 November 2023 |url-status=live}}
References
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External links
{{subject bar|auto=y|d=y|Politics|New Zealand}}
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{{s-par|nz}}
{{s-bef|before=Harete Hipango}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member of Parliament for Whanganui|years=2020–2023}}
{{s-aft|after=Carl Bates}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Steph}}
Category:New Zealand Labour Party MPs
Category:Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives
Category:People educated at Whanganui City College
Category:Victoria University of Wellington alumni
Category:Unsuccessful candidates in the 2017 New Zealand general election
Category:Candidates in the 2020 New Zealand general election
Category:Unsuccessful candidates in the 2023 New Zealand general election
Category:New Zealand Youth MPs
Category:21st-century New Zealand women politicians
Category:Women members of the New Zealand House of Representatives