Alan Brash

Alan Anderson Brash (5 June 1913 – 24 August 2002) was a leading minister of the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand, and of the worldwide ecumenical movement. He was the son of notable Presbyterian lay leader Thomas Brash, and the father of National party opposition leader and Governor of the Reserve Bank, Don Brash.

Early years Alan Anderson Brash was born in Wellington on 5 June 1913, the fourth child of Thomas Cuddie Brash and Margaret Henrietta Brash (née Allan). His father Thomas was a leading figure in New Zealand's dairy industry and one of only four lay Moderators of the General Assembly in the history of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand.

Education Brash was raised in Miramar in Wellington, and raised in the Presbyterian Church under the teaching of Rev. James Gibb and Dr. John Allan. Brash underwent primary and secondary education in Wellington, before completing a MA in philosophy at the University of Otago. He then went to New College, Edinburgh, to study theology. While in the UK he represented the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand at the 1937 Faith and Order Conference in Edinburgh and the Life and Work conference in Oxford. Also in attendance was his future wife, Eljean Hill. Eljean died in 1991, and Alan moved to Christchurch to live next door to his daughter Lynette.

Death and legacy Alan Brash died on 24 August 2002. The Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa summed up the life of The Very Rev Alan Anderson Brash as follows: A concern for justice for all people; a conviction that the Church should never forget that it is called to serve the poor of the world; an unwavering commitment to pacifism and the search for peace; and a life-long commitment to ecumenism and the unity of the Church were the hallmarks of Alan Brash's life. He saw these as challenges that should confront all who confess to follow Jesus Christ and he was absolute and fearless in his resolve to walk in that way.