Rogernomics were the neoliberal economic reforms promoted by Roger Douglas, the Minister of Finance between 1984 and 1988 in the Fourth Labour Government of New Zealand. Rogernomics featured market-led restructuring and deregulation and the control of inflation through tight monetary policy, accompanied by a floating exchange-rate and reductions in the fiscal deficit.
Roger Douglas in 1965
Sir Roger Owen Douglas is a retired New Zealand politician who served as a minister in two Labour governments. He became best known for his prominent role in New Zealand's radical economic restructuring in the 1980s, when the Fourth Labour Government's economic policy became known as "Rogernomics".
Douglas in 2008
Douglas in 1965
Labour Prime Minister Norman Kirk (pictured in 1972) appointed Douglas as Postmaster-General in his Cabinet; this was Douglas's first ministerial role.
Labour leader David Lange (pictured) was an early supporter of Douglas's reforms, but became unsettled by the mounting social cost of Rogernomics