Claire Lois Stewart QSO (17 June 1941 – 29 March 2020) was a New Zealand politician who served as mayor of New Plymouth from 1992 until 2001.
[1] In 1961 she married JJ Stewart,[2] a high school teacher and rugby coach eighteen years her senior and a drinking mate of her father.
During her time in office she extended the New Plymouth Coastal Walkway, built a domestic violence shelter, and began the process of building Puke Ariki.
[4][5] In 2000, she was considered a frontrunner to be elected president of Local Government New Zealand,[6] but the position was ultimately filled by Basil Morrison, the mayor of Hauraki.
[5] After two years of delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a memorial service for Stewart was held in New Plymouth on 17 June 2022.