Her parents split up when she was seven, and she and her sister, Christine, spent a number of years at King Edward's School, Witley, Surrey, as boarding pupils.
After leaving Parliament, Gordon attended the University of Canterbury as an adult student, graduating with a law degree in 2007.
[4] Gordon stepped back from the mayoralty race in August 2010 and chose instead to run for one of the Riccarton-Wigram Ward seats on the council.
After the election results were announced she was found not to have secured a Council seat, the winners being from the Christchurch 2021 group and Independent Citizens respectively.
She spent four years on the Massey University Council,[6] including a period as Pro-Chancellor, is an active member (and National President, since 2009) of the Quality Public Education Coalition,[7] a Council member of the Howard League for Penal Reform (since 2005) and is active in local body affairs.
As of 2015 Gordon sits as a council member of the Royal Society of New Zealand, in this she has undertaken the role of constituent organisational representative.