Sir Matthew Henry Oram MBE (2 June 1885 – 22 January 1969) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party.

[2] On 5 March 1913, he married Margarette Ann Florence Johnson at St John's Church, Wellington.

[4] When New Zealand declared war against Germany in 1914, Oram sold his law practice and joined the army.

He was declared unfit for overseas service and served first in Palmerston North, and then at Base Records in Wellington, where he attained the rank of captain.

He promoted that the club compete in the handicap section of the MacRobertson Air Race and paid half the entry fee, but ceased to support the event when his nominated pilot was not chosen.

[9] When John Cobbe retired from Parliament in 1943,[10] Oram won National's nomination for the Manawatu electorate.

He beat Labour's candidate, Corporal W. H. Oliver,[11] by a considerable margin (6,194 votes versus 3,883), with an Independent coming a distant third.

[13] During his first two parliamentary terms, when the Labour Party was in government, Oram was a frequent debater and advocated for better education.

[14] Oram had a strained relationship with Sidney Holland, the Prime Minister, was considered too conservative and together with a sometimes difficult personality, these factors may not have worked in his favour.

Their aims were for more open government, tax reform, the re-establishment on an upper house, and a written constitution.

[17] His grandson, also named Matthew Oram and based in Hong Kong, shares his hobby and has racehorses.