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Carolyn Cooper is the country's first ever Aged Care Commissioner, who began this month.
She's a former nurse, who became the head of BUPA, a huge rest home and retirement village business with $1.6 billion of assets.
The role of Aged Care Commissioner was first promised by Labour in the 2017 election, but the budget for it only confirmed last year.
The Associate Health Minister Ayesha Verrall says Ms Cooper will be "leading much needed systematic change in the sector" as well as being an advocate on behalf of consumers and their whānau for better services.
36,000 New Zealanders live in aged residential care, while a further 75,000 receive home-based care.