Rutherford Waddell (1850–1932) was a notable 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 was an active believer in the value of the ministry to promote social justice. This led him to oversee the setting up a mission hall, savings bank, free library and free kindergarten within his parish, as well as promoting the founding of a variety of cultural and sporting groups.