was diagnosed, through the free screening programme she had established as Associate Minister of Health, with breast cancer in 2008. She died of her illness on 2 May 2018. References Further reading O'Regan, Katherine. The Thread is Politics. In Clark, Margaret (ed). (1986) Beyond Expectations: fourteen New Zealand women write about their lives. Allen & Unwin. p. 143–154. 1946 births 2018 deaths Companions of the Queen's Service Order Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand list MPs New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates New Zealand National Party MPs Unsuccessful candidates in the 1999 New Zealand general election Women members of the New Zealand House of Representatives People educated at Hamilton Girls' High School 21st-century New Zealand politicians 21st-century New Zealand women politicians Deaths from breast cancer Deaths from cancer in New Zealand People from Waikato Recipients of the New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993 New Zealand justices of the peace New Zealand feminists