Prominent New Zealand businesswoman Theresa Gattung discharged from hospital after health scare

Theresa Gattung, New Zealand business person and the former chief executive of Telecom New Zealand. Photo / Greg Bowker

Prominent businesswoman Theresa Gattung has been discharged from hospital after a serious health scare.

The former Telecom chief executive was admitted to Auckland City Hospital on Wednesday and has been discharged after undergoing tests.

"She's under doctor's orders to take it very easy so she is slowing down this week - as much as she can," a spokeswoman said this evening.

Since leaving Telecom, now Spark, in 2007, Gattung has taken on a number of business opportunities. She is currently chairwoman of insurance group AIA in Australia, Telco Technology Services in New Zealand, Wellington SPCA, Co.Of Women, and luxury beauty product distributor The Six Senses.

Gattung, in her mid-50s, is also a director for My Food Bag, the Royal NZ SPCA and online marketplace MyCare.

She is the co-founder of charitable organisation World Women, which launched SheEO New Zealand, aimed at helping to fund female founded or run start-ups.

Last month Gattung put her $2.8 million Oriental Parade home up for sale after owning the waterfront apartment for 14 years. At the time, she said her life was based in Auckland and with her various roles she had travelled significantly the previous year, and planned to do the same this year.

Her work with AIA meant a lot of time was spent in Melbourne.

Gattung grew up with three sisters, and lives in Westmere. Over the years she has been held up as a leader in promoting women in business, and is a strong advocate for pay equity and equality.