Rachel Stewart – Journalist and Gender-Critical Commentator

Rachel Stewart is a former journalist and columnist known for her brash opinion pieces. She won New Zealand’s Opinion Writer of the Year in 2016. Stewart’s background is eclectic – she’s worked in farming/agriculture and was notably New Zealand’s first female train driver, bringing a “no-nonsense” persona to her commentary. In 2018, Stewart wrote a column warning about “the dangers of the trans movement,” which sparked significant backlash: she describes being subjected to “sustained abuse, cancellation, [and] reputational damage” from trans activists. The controversy escalated to a point where, Stewart claims, police revoked her firearms license due to activist pressure. Disillusioned by this experience, Stewart became an outspoken critic of transgender activism and “cancel culture,” often highlighting the erosion of free speech. She left mainstream media (previously writing for the NZ Herald and Stuff) and has since been active on independent platforms and Twitter. At the IPNZ Unsilenced summit, Stewart spoke about her personal story of being “silenced” and ostracized for her views – a cautionary tale illustrating the risks of speaking against transgender ideology. Her presence reinforced the event’s narrative of free speech under threat. Stewart is polarizing: admired by some for “speaking her mind,” condemned by others for anti-trans sentiments. She has also been associated with firearms advocacy (stemming from her own gun license dispute) and rural/conservation issues. Publicly, she keeps a relatively low profile now outside of specific events like Unsilenced and occasional radio/podcast appearances. Nonetheless, she remains a figurehead in NZ’s small gender-critical feminist network and an ally to groups like IPNZ that frame their activism around being “unsilenced.”