Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick with her late husband John. Photo/File
It has never been Steve Chadwick's style to stay in bed and wallow.
Now, a year on from the death of her husband, she is "unrelenting" in her passion for Rotorua and isn't ruling out another run at mayor.
Steve sat down with the Rotorua Daily Post this week, revealing for the first time publicly how her life has been since the sudden death of her husband, John Chadwick, on May 26 last year.
At the time, the city's mayor took just two weeks off work.
"I couldn't wallow in what was happening, I needed to engage and get back, otherwise the gap is so big that you go, 'this is too hard'," she said.
"I think I did the right thing in hindsight, it wasn't just filling the gap, it was genuinely getting back into the work stream of such a busy job."
Steve said her focus was not being gone from the job too long, but "blocking out time throughout the next year" and she did.
"I did take some care and blocked some long weekends.
"I know that the sort of support I had from John would have been 'get up and get back into it'."
Over the past year she has balanced her work as mayor with a few "wider family things that made it more complicated", and a very busy household.
Two of her sons and five of her grandchildren had all moved in.
"It's been lovely having them around, they keep it very real.
"They were helpful emotionally too, they knew when I was a little bit flaky, but they're sensible, wise, grounded kids."
As far as her council family was concerned, she said they were "amazing" at the time and still were now.
"The aspect of council I've valued most is the relationship with the chief executive [Geoff Williams], he's very kind and sensitive to what any councillors are going through at different times.
"It's been enriching, in fact it has made me love this place even more."
On the anniversary of John's death, last weekend, the wider Chadwick family gathered for a "fabulous family potluck lunch".
"Everyone just chipped in and then we had a huge bonfire which is just what we always do as a family.
"We always had the thing, 'do we do the whole memorial?' Which was what a lot of people were asking for, but we weren't feeling like it.
"We're going to work out the right thing to do with his ashes in time."
Steve described John as her rock, and said she was "going and finding other rocks now".
"I was biting at the bit to come back, because I love it, because it's not just a job."
Growing up with a mother who "was a very talented artist" and a father who was an engineer, Steve said, was an interesting mix, but one that made her political even as a child.
"He was very linear and she was very creative.
"My dad always said that detail drives you, and I have learnt in my career accounting is a good skill to have, but I've preferred the more creative journey to get there."
She said having a name like Steve certainly helped.
"At birth I was Stephanie, and mum handed me to my uncle, who was a post traumatic war victim, and his name was Steve.
"He said, what is her name and mum said Stephanie, and he called me Steve, from birth, and I was only Stephanie when I was in trouble.
"It's the greatest ice-breaker."
Her background in midwifery also contributed to her attitude in the political chamber, she said.
"I often say when there is a drama, and there is one every day, has anyone died? Is anyone at risk of dying? if they are, we move very, very quickly."
With the local government elections coming up in October next year, Steve said she certainly had the "energy and the drive" to run again.
"I'll make the decision when the time is right, but I love what I'm doing and I'm seeing results now, and results drive me to carry on.
"I think what you get is one crack at leadership and place making and that was my space then and if the community decide they don't want that, that's fine."
She said like their father, her children knew not to get in the way of what she wanted.
"I think they always craved that I might be that soft and gentle grandmother, but that's sort of never going to be my way.
"My mother was like that, so I'm remarkably similar to her."