The Reverend Dr Patricia Allan, of Christchurch, ONZM for services to survivors of abuse
The Reverend Dr Patricia Allan was one of the first women to be ordained in New Zealand, later becoming the West Coast’s first female vicar. In 1989, she led the inaugural Ordained Women’s Conference, where issues of sexual harassment were first raised. She challenged the systematic failure of the Church to deal with historical and ongoing abuse, encouraging the Anglican Church of New Zealand to adopt policies and procedures for dealing with professional misconduct, complaints of sexual abuse and clergy education.
She gained a PhD (Anthropology) for her thesis ‘The Once and Future Cathedral’. She undertook post-doctoral research on the Anglican Church’s 30-year dealings with abuse complaints. Reverend Allan’s work has been recognised by the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care and she participated in the Christchurch Anglican Diocesan Response.