Tony Ryall

Early life and family

He was born in Christchurch and educated in the Eastern Bay of Plenty and graduated Bachelor of Business Studies (Accounting and Finance) from Massey University. Ryall is married with two children.

Professional career

Before entering politics, he worked as a credit analyst at a bank. In 1990 he was in the Corporate Credit Recovery section of the Bank of New Zealand. He joined the East Cape branch of the Young Nationals in 1980. In 1987 he was an assistant at the party National Headquarters, and in 1988/89 was Canvassing Coordinator and Treasurer of the Miramar electorate.

1990–1999

He first won election to Parliament as Member of Parliament for the East Cape electorate in the 1990 elections at age 26. Subsequent boundary reorganisations saw him represent the Eastern Bay of Plenty electorate (1993–1996) and the Bay of Plenty electorate (1996–2014).

Ryall served in the Cabinet between 1997–1999 variously as Minister for State-Owned Enterprises (8 December 1997 – 10 December 1999), Minister of Local Government ( 31 August 1998 – 31 January 1999), Minister of Youth Affairs (31 August 1998 – 10 December 1999), Associate Minister of Justice (8 December 1997 – 31 January 1999), Minister of Justice (31 January – 10 December 1999), Minister in Charge of the Audit Department (8 December 1997 – 26 August 1998), Minister Responsible for Radio New Zealand (8 December 1997 – 31 January 1999), and Minister Responsible for Housing New Zealand (31 January 1999 – 10 December 1999).

In Opposition: 1999–2008

During the National Party's time in Opposition, he was spokesperson for Housing (1999–2002), Justice (1999–2002), Timberlands and SILNA (1999–2002), Commerce (15 August 2002 – 2 November 2003), Corrections (15 August 2002 – 2 November 2003), Courts (15 August 2002 – 2 November 2003), Police (15 August 2002 – 2 November 2003), Sentencing (15 August 2002 – 2 November 2003), Law and Order (2003 – 26 October 2005), and Immigration (9 August 2004 – 26 October 2005).

In the 2005 general election Ryall won the largest National Party electorate majority in the country: in his Bay of Plenty electorate he gained a majority of approximately 15,800 votes. In the 2008 election he secured the country's second largest majority, behind the Prime Minister's 17,600 majority.

Cabinet Minister in the Fifth National Government: 2008–2014

From November 2008 to his retirement from politics in 2014, he served as the Minister of Health. Along with the Minister of Finance, Ryall oversaw National's government share offer programme, which yielded $4.7b from the partial sale of three state-owned electricity generators and Air New Zealand. He announced in February 2014 that he was to retire from politics at that year's general election.

Ryall was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services as a Member of Parliament in the 2015 New Year Honours.

After politics

Ryall joined law firm Simpson Grierson in November 2014 as head of its public policy practice. In February 2015, he was appointed a director of the New Zealand subsidiary of Australian nib Health Funds, a health insurance company.