Dame Ellen Adrienne Stewart, Lady Stewart (née Peake; born 1936) is a New Zealand arts patron.

Life and career

Ellen Adrienne Peake was born in Melbourne, Australia, in 1936. She moved to New Zealand aged 19 and first worked in

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

and

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

. In 1958, at age 22, she started working for PDL as personal secretary to Bob Stewart, who had purchased the firm the previous year. Stewart divorced his first wife and in 1970, Ellen Adrienne Cansdale (who had by then been married before) married Bob Stewart and took on his surname. The Stewarts developed PDL into one of New Zealand's best known companies, and they became major exporters. Adrienne Stewart became deeply involved in the arts sector, where she is a "patron, supporter, board member and philanthropist".

Awards and honours

In the

1979 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1979 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countrie ...

, her husband was appointed

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised Order of chivalry, orders of chivalry; it is a part of the Orders, decorations, and medals ...

, and she was thus styled Adrienne, Lady Stewart. In 1993, she was awarded the

New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal The New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993 was established by Royal Warrant on 1 July 1993. It was created to commemorate Women's suffrage in New Zealand and to recognize those New Zealand and Commonwealth citizens who had made a significant ...

. In the 1995 Queen's Birthday Honours, Stewart was awarded the

Queen's Service Medal The King's Service Medal (created as the Queen's Service Medal in 1975 and renamed in 2024) is a medal awarded by the government of New Zealand to recognise and reward volunteer service to the community and also public service in elected or app ...

for community service. In the

2006 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2006 in some Commonwealth realms were announced (on 31 December 2005) in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Grenada, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, and Saint Christopher and Nevis to c ...

, she was appointed an

Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit () is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have r ...

for services to the community. In 2011, she was awarded an honorary

doctorate of letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or '), also termed Doctor of Literature in some countries, is a terminal degree in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. In the United States, at universities such as Drew University, the degree ...

(LittD) by the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury (UC; ; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was founded in 1873 as Canterbur ...

. In 2014, Stewart was inducted into the

New Zealand Business Hall of Fame The New Zealand Business Hall of Fame is a figurative hall of fame dedicated to New Zealanders who have made a significant contribution to the economic and social development of New Zealand. The hall was established in 1994 by the Young Enterpri ...

. In the

2015 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2015 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrati ...

, she was appointed Dame Companion of the

New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit () is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant (document), royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of New Zealand, Queen of New Zealand, "for th ...

(DNZM) for services to the arts and business.

Family

The Stewarts had two children; Mark James Stewart and Todd Huntly Stewart. Her husband died in 2007.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, Adrienne 1936 births Living people Australian emigrants to New Zealand People from Christchurch New Zealand philanthropists New Zealand businesspeople Dames Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit Date of birth missing (living people) Recipients of the Queen's Service Medal Recipients of the New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993 Wives of knights