Ragnhild Queseth Haarstad (4 April 1939 – 6 June 2017) was a Norwegian politician associated with the Centre Party. Born in Grue in the traditional county of Hedmark, she became known for her involvement in local and regional affairs and for holding national office in the late 1990s. Her public career reflected the Centre Party's emphasis on rural communities, decentralization and municipal autonomy.

National office

Haarstad served as Minister of Local Government and Regional Development from 1997 until 1999 in the government formed after the 1997 elections. In that capacity she had responsibility for matters relating to municipal and regional administration and policies designed to promote balanced development across Norway. For information about the party she represented, see the Centre Party profile.

  • Oversight of municipal and county relations with the central government
  • Work on regional development strategies and support for rural areas
  • Coordination of housing and local infrastructure policy
  • Administrative reforms affecting local government organization

Before and after her time as a cabinet minister, Haarstad was active in politics at local and regional levels. Her background in a rural municipality informed her perspective on issues such as local service provision, transport links and sustaining smaller communities. She was part of a generation of politicians who balanced national responsibilities with attention to the needs of Norway's non-urban regions.

Haarstad's ministerial period took place during a time when Norway debated the best ways to combine efficient public administration with local self-government. Her tenure is generally remembered for emphasizing dialogue with municipalities and for focusing on policy instruments intended to support regional vitality rather than concentrate resources solely in metropolitan areas.

Ragnhild Queseth Haarstad died on 6 June 2017 in Oslo at the age of 78. Contemporary news reports and obituaries noted her contributions to local and regional policy; see contemporary coverage at reports of her death.