Rotorua district councillor Maureen Waaka has suffered a stroke.
She is making a steady recovery in Auckland City Hospital and has recovered some mobility.
Mrs Waaka, of Te Arawa and Tuwharetoa descent, was in Auckland for work commitments when she fell ill last Sunday.
She may be transferred to Rotorua Hospital next week, depending on her progress.
Mrs Waaka was the first Maori woman to be crowned Miss New Zealand in 1962.
