Ruth Richardson

Ruth Richardson is a political reformer and former minister of finance in New Zealand. After winning a seat in Parliament in 1981 as a member of the National Party, she soon developed a reputation as a strong advocate of free markets, free trade, and privatization. As finance minister, she built on the successful efforts of her predecessor, Sir Roger Douglas, and instituted reforms that reined in public expenditure, deregulated the labor market, and reformed social entitlements.

Despite strong opposition from special interest groups and fellow legislators, Ruth secured cross-party support for an independent central bank, the application of generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) to public accounts, and structural reform of the public sector. Since leaving government in 1994, Ruth has served as director of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, is chair or director of several dozen companies, has served on the boards of international think tanks, and has been a consultant to governments around the world.