Allan Davidson
Rev Dr Allan Kenneth Davidson, of St Johns, received the Insignia of an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to history. Dr Davidson has contributed to theology and its history for more than 30 years. He has developed the field of interdenominational church history alongside the academic study of religion and culture. He is notable for his research into the spread of Christianity in New Zealand and the Pacific region. He was a driving force behind the establishment of the Religious History Association of Aotearoa New Zealand and the Editor of the New Zealand Religious History Newsletter. He was a lecturer in church history at St Johns Theological College for more than 25 years and was the University of Auckland's School of Theology's Director of Postgraduate Studies. Dr Davidson wrote the Ministry of Education's textbook Christianity in Aotearoa, and the books Transplanted Christianity and Selwyn's Legacy.