Rutherford Waddell

Rutherford Waddell

Rutherford Waddell (1850–1932) was a New Zealand Presbyterian minister, social reformer and writer. He was born in Ireland, and after failing to finding a position as a missionary or a minister Waddell and his wife migrated to New Zealand in 1877. Settling in Dunedin, he led St Andrew's Presbyterian Church for forty years from 1879 to 1919. An important liberalizing influence in the Presbyterian church in New Zealand, he believed in the value of the ministry to promote social justice. He oversaw the establishment of a mission hall, savings bank, free library and free kindergarten within his parish, and promoted the founding of a number of cultural and sporting groups.