View source for Ann Batten

{{short description|New Zealand politician}}
{{BLP sources|date=September 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=October 2014}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = [[The Reverend]]
| name = Ann Batten
| honorific-suffix = 
|image         = 
|imagesize     = 
|caption       = 
|birth_name    = 
|birth_date    = 27 April 1944
|birth_place   = 
|residence     = 
|death_date    = 
|death_place   = 
| successor3   =
|constituency_MP3 = [[List MP|List]]
|term_start3   = 1996
|term_end3     = 1999
|parliament3   = New Zealand
|predecessor3  = 
|party         = [[New Zealand First]]<br>[[Mauri Pacific]]
| otherparty   = [[New Zealand Labour Party|Labour]] (1981–96)
|profession    = Priest
|spouse        = 
|children      = 1
|relations     =
|website       = 
}}
'''Ann Batten''' (born 27 April 1944{{sfn|Dagg|1996|p=28}}) is an [[Anglican]] priest, peace activist and a former New Zealand politician. She has been a member of various political parties and represented [[New Zealand First]] and [[Mauri Pacific]] in Parliament.

== Biography ==
Batten is originally from South Auckland. In 1995, she headed an [[anti-nuclear protest]] to [[French Polynesia]].<ref name="Peace MP">{{cite news |last=Young |first=Audrey |title=Peace MP backs warrior women |url= http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=3605 |accessdate=26 July 2013 |work=The New Zealand Herald |date=12 March 1999}}</ref>
Prior to entering parliament, she studied theology at St. Johns Theological College in Auckland and gained a Licentiate in Theology, Community Studies Certificate at Auckland University.

Community Organisations: 
Was a La Leche League NZ Leader, Mastectomy Association founding member, Trustee South Auckland HELP Foundation, Patron Bruce Mason Theatre, Teacher of personal development at the Manukau Technical Institute Nursing school, an Alcoholism therapist at the Salvation Army Bridge Programme, She led the Women's Peace Flight to Tahiti against the French Nuclear Testing in the Pacific and was part of an International Peacekeeping delegation to draw attention to the plight of the East Timor people in 1995. Former Member of Management of Trees for Survival organisation, Spokesperson for former Manukau Asbestos Action Group,

Business: 
Member of the Forest Owners Association, A co-director with her husband of their land development company.
Member of Institute of Directors, Former Mentor for "Business in the Community" now under the Auckland Chamber of Commerce.

Church involvement:
Has been Priest-in-Charge at Otara Mission district, Albany/Greenhithe, Waiuku and Pukekohe. 
Currently holds a Bishop's Licence to Officiate and offices at St. John's Church, East Tamaki.
She was a co-founder of the Anglican Diocesan Women's Resource Centre, a member of the Diocesan Social Justice Committee,
Anti Racism trainer with the Anglican Church and Co-Convenor of the Auckland Anglican Bishop's Diocesan Treaty of Waitangi Education Committee. Convened a Working Group to provide input to the Anglican Church's Prayer Book Commission which rewrote the Church's prayerbook to reflect modern and inclusive language.

Club Memberships:
Auckland Club and The Northern Club.
Former Benefactor NBR Opera

Television: Ann financed, produced and presented the Television programme, Ann Batten's Auckland in Focus for {{frac|3|1|2}} years on Triangle Television (now Face TV).

==Member of Parliament==
{{NZ parlbox header|align=left}}
{{NZ parlbox
 |term=45th
 |start={{NZ election link year|1996}}
 |end=1998
 |party=New Zealand First
 |electorate=[[Party lists in the 1996 New Zealand general election#New Zealand First|List]]
 |list=3
}}
{{NZ parlbox allegiance|start=1998|end=1999|party=Mauri Pacific}}
{{End}}

Batten was a supporter of the [[New Zealand Labour Party|Labour Party]] and unsuccessfully stood in the {{NZ electorate link|Clevedon}} and {{NZ electorate link|Glenfield}} electorates in the {{NZ election link year|1990}} and {{NZ election link year|1993}} elections.{{sfn|Dagg|1996|p=28}} She was then selected by the Labour Party to contest the {{NZ electorate link|Albany}} electorate in the {{NZ election link|1996}}. She resigned from the Labour Party in March 1996 and joined New Zealand First, which gave her a high [[Party lists in the 1996 New Zealand general election#New Zealand First|list ranking of 3rd place]] and let her contest the {{NZ electorate link|North Shore}} electorate.<ref name="1996 successful">{{cite web|title=Part III – Party Lists of Successful Registered Parties |url=http://www.electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_1996/pdf/3.3%20Party%20Lists%20of%20Successful%20Registered%20Parties.pdf |publisher=Electoral Commission |accessdate=22 June 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130208054410/http://electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_1996/pdf/3.3%20Party%20Lists%20of%20Successful%20Registered%20Parties.pdf |archivedate=8 February 2013 }}</ref> She came fifth in the electorate vote,<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_1996/pdf/6.1%20North%20Shore%2031.pdf |title=Electorate Candidate and Party Votes Recorded at Each Polling Place – North Shore, 1996 |accessdate=26 July 2013 }}</ref> but was one of 11 list candidates of her party who entered Parliament.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_1996/pdf/1.1%20Summary%20of%20overall%20results.pdf |title=Part I: Summary of Party List and Electorate Candidate Seats |publisher=New Zealand Chief Electoral Office |year=2007 |accessdate=29 June 2008}}</ref>

In 1998, when New Zealand First splintered, Batten was one of the eight MPs who stayed with the Coalition Government which Winston<ref>Ann Batten</ref> Peters left. She eventually joined with four other MPs to form the [[Mauri Pacific]] party.<ref name="Peace MP" /> In the [[1999 New Zealand general election|1999 election]], she was ranked fifth on Mauri Pacific's list, but the party failed to win any seats.

Since leaving Parliament, Batten has been involved in broadcasting.<ref>http://www.annbattensauckland.co.nz/  {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070405103744/http://www.annbattensauckland.co.nz/ |date=5 April 2007 }}</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
*{{cite book |last=Dagg |first=Margaret |date=1996 |title=New Zealand Parliament 1996: Who's Who |publisher=[[Radio New Zealand]] }}

{{New Zealand First}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Batten, Ann}}
[[Category:1944 births]]
[[Category:New Zealand First MPs]]
[[Category:Women members of the New Zealand House of Representatives]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Mauri Pacific MPs]]
[[Category:New Zealand list MPs]]
[[Category:Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives]]
[[Category:Unsuccessful candidates in the 1990 New Zealand general election]]
[[Category:Unsuccessful candidates in the 1993 New Zealand general election]]
[[Category:Unsuccessful candidates in the 1999 New Zealand general election]]
[[Category:New Zealand Labour Party politicians]]