John Stewart 1949 - 2018

It is with great sadness that we have to report that John Stewart, longtime Housebuilder Viewpoint columnist and former director of economic affairs at the Home Builders Federation, has died, aged 69.

John had battled cancer for many years, but his condition deteriorated rapidly in recent times. He passed away peacefully this morning with his family around him.

John lost his wife Maureen to cancer in 2000 when their three children were still young. A matter of months after the death of his wife, John himself received a cancer diagnosis for which he undertook multiple and various treatments over some 15 years. During the later stages of John’s ill health, he was cared for at home by his long-term partner, Angela Gill.

John was a well-respected figure across the industry. He joined HBF in 2003 but had worked in the industry for more than a decade including spending time as divisional sales and marketing director for Wates Built Homes. He retired from HBF in 2016.

Before moving from his native New Zealand to the UK in 1979, John had graduated from the University of Auckland with a degree in English. He then received an MSc in Economics from Birkbeck College in London.

John’s role …