Carolyn Cooper

Carolyn Cooper is New Zealand’s first Aged Care Commissioner. She was appointed in March 2022 to provide strategic oversight of health and disability services for older people in all settings. In addition to being a statutory decision maker on complaints about care provided to older people, Carolyn strongly advocates for older people’s rights to quality health and disability services to support them to age well. Her 40-year career spans governance, executive and clinical leaderships roles across the public and private sector in New Zealand and Australia. Previously, she was the managing director and lead nurse for Bupa Villages and Care New Zealand, which supports more than 5,500 senior residents nation-wide. Carolyn began her career as a registered general and obstetrics nurse and has since held leadership positions across the health sector in aged care and hospital and specialist services. She is passionate about using innovation and collaboration as tools to achieve great quality of care and life for older people. She brings to her roles her lived experience caring for older people as a daughter and niece.