Muriel Newman

Muriel Newman (born 6 April 1950) is a former member of the New Zealand Parliament for the right-wing ACT New Zealand party and a former deputy leader of the party.

Newman was born in northern England. She arrived in New Zealand at the age of eight and was raised in Whangarei. She gained a BSc in mathematics from the University of Auckland, and then a Ph.D. in mathematics education from Rutgers University in the United States. After working in the education sector for twenty years, she entered the business world with Michael Hill International, eventually becoming the deputy general manager of the New Zealand operation before being elected to Parliament. She has been a president of the Northland Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Northland Health Board, and member of the Northland Conservation Board.

Newman was a founding member of the ACT New Zealand party. She was one of its candidates in the 1996 general election, the first election the party contested, and was elected to Parliament as one of ACT's eight list MPs. She was re-elected in 1999 and 2002. In 2004, when Richard Prebble stepped down as ACT's leader, Newman stood as a candidate to succeed him; she lost to Rodney Hide, but emerged with the role of deputy leader. She was placed third on ACT's party list in the 2005 election, but lost her seat in Parliament, as ACT's representation was reduced from nine MPs to only two.

After leaving Parliament in 2005 Newman established the New Zealand Centre for Political Debate (since renamed the New Zealand Centre for Political Research). New Zealand and overseas guests who have written columns for the Centre include: Sir Roger Douglas (Finance minister of the New Zealand Labour party from 1984 to 1988 and ACT New Zealand co-founder), Sheriff Joe Arpaio, David Bellamy, Don Brash, Alan Duff, Richard Epstein, Lord Nigel Lawson, Owen McShane, Johan Norberg and Peter Saunders.