During the intervening period, Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias was the Administrator of the Government (acting governor-general).

[8] On 12 August 2002, in a speech at the opening of the Specialised Applied Research Centre of the Victoria University of Wellington, Cartwright questioned whether longer sentences would reduce criminal reoffending rates.

[9] ACT New Zealand MP Stephen Franks was critical of the remarks, stating "I don't think she was regarded as one of the most weighty judges and she's putting herself into a difficult constitutional position by weighing in this area",[10] as was the Sensible Sentencing Trust.

Brownlee said "I have to publicly say that I have lost respect for the Governor-General and I think it is time we sat down now and started to look at a much more formal constitution for New Zealand".

[15] In the 1989 Queen's Birthday Honours, Cartwright was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, for services to women.

[19] Cartwright is an Honorary Member of The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation and a fellow of the Hastings Center, a bioethics research institution in the United States.