Sir Roger Douglas | |
|---|---|
 Douglas in 2008 | |
| 35th Minister of Finance | |
| In office 26 July 1984 – 14 December 1988 | |
| Prime Minister | David Lange |
| Preceded by | Robert Muldoon |
| Succeeded by | David Caygill |
| 17th Minister of Revenue | |
| In office 26 July 1984 – 24 August 1987 | |
| Prime Minister | David Lange |
| Preceded by | John Falloon |
| Succeeded by | Trevor de Cleene |
| 45th Minister of Customs | |
| In office 13 March 1975 – 12 December 1975 | |
| Prime Minister | Bill Rowling |
| Preceded by | Mick Connelly |
| Succeeded by | Peter Wilkinson |
| 10th Minister of Housing | |
| In office 10 September 1974 – 12 December 1975 | |
| Prime Minister | Bill Rowling |
| Preceded by | Bert Walker |
| Succeeded by | Fraser Colman |
| 12th Minister of Broadcasting | |
| In office 8 December 1972 – 12 December 1975 | |
| Prime Minister | Norman Kirk Bill Rowling |
| Preceded by | Bert Walker |
| Succeeded by | Hugh Templeton |
| 42nd Postmaster-General | |
| In office 8 December 1972 – 10 September 1974 | |
| Prime Minister | Norman Kirk |
| Preceded by | Bert Walker |
| Succeeded by | Fraser Colman |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Manurewa | |
| In office 25 November 1978 – 27 October 1990 | |
| Preceded by | Merv Wellington |
| Succeeded by | George Hawkins |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Manukau | |
| In office 29 November 1969 – 25 November 1978 | |
| Preceded by | Colin Moyle |
| 1st Leader of ACT New Zealand | |
| In office 1994 – 24 March 1996 | |
| Succeeded by | Richard Prebble |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for ACT Party List | |
| In office 8 November 2008 – 26 November 2011 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 December 1937 Auckland, New Zealand |
| Political party | ACT (1993–present) Labour (until 1990) |
| Relations | Bill Anderton (grandfather) Norman Douglas (father) Malcolm Douglas (brother) |
| Profession | Accountant |
Sir Roger Owen Douglas (born 5 December 1937) is a retired New Zealand politician, economist and accountant who served as a minister in two Labour governments. He is most recognised for his key involvement in New Zealand's radical economic restructuring in the 1980s, when the Fourth Labour Government's economic policy became known as "Rogernomics", which implemented neoliberal economic policies.
Douglas served as a Labour Member of Parliament from 1969 to 1990. During his time as Minister of Finance (1984 to 1988), the government floated the New Zealand dollar, introduced corporate practices to state services, sold off state assets, and removed a swathe of regulations and subsidies. Some Labour Party supporters regarded Douglas's economic policies as a betrayal of Labour's left-wing policy-platform, and the moves became deeply unpopular with the public and with ordinary party members. His supporters defended the reforms as necessary to revive the economy, which had been tightly regulated under National's Robert Muldoon (Minister of Finance from 1975 to 1984). As a result of his flat tax proposal, Douglas came into conflict with Prime Minister David Lange, and he eventually resigned as Finance Minister; when Douglas was re-elected to Cabinet in 1989 Lange himself resigned as Prime Minister, signalling the demise of the Labour government.
In 1993 Douglas and Derek Quigley founded the Association of Consumers and Taxpayers (the forerunner of the ACT New Zealand party) as a means to further his policy ideas. Douglas returned to Parliament as an ACT backbencher in 2008 before retiring in 2011.