Ruth Helen Butterworth CNZM (21 August 1934 – 29 January 2020) was a New Zealand political scientist at the University of Auckland from 1965 until her retirement.
Born in England, Butterworth studied at the University of Oxford, from where she graduated Master of Arts and, in 1959, DPhil.
[1] Her teaching influenced students who became leading politicians, including Helen Clark and Phil Goff.
[1] She was a regular contributor to Zealandia, writing on topics including nuclear testing, the Vietnam war, and abortion.
[6] In the 2000 Queen's Birthday Honours, she was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to tertiary education.