Lawton is Māori, of Ngāti Porou descent, and grew up in a bicultural family in Wellington.

[6][3][7] Lawton has also worked to better coordinate maternal healthcare and wraparound services, addressing issues such as transport, immunisation, power and oral health.

[3][2] When New Zealand's first Women's Health Strategy was released in 2023, Lawton was critical that it missed the opportunity to take some easy actions, like making contraception and cervical screening free.

[10] Lawton was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2004 New Year Honours, for services to women's health.

The award recognised her contribution to women's health, noting that she had been congratulated in parliament by Ayesha Verrall for her and her team's input into the process to get Government support for self-testing for cervical cancer screening.

[2] She also co-leads the team that won the 2023 HRC’s Te Tohu Rapuora Medal for outstanding leadership, excellence and contribution to Māori health.