Dr. Jenny Plane-Te Paa

Dr. Te Paa, Ahorangi or Principal of Te Rau Kahikatea at the College of St. John the Evangelist in Auckland, New Zealand, was named 20th among the London Daily Telegraph’s 50 most influential Anglicans. She earned her Ph.D. in 2001 at the GTU. She is the first and only Maori woman with a Ph.D. in Theology.

“When I realized that people regarded this list as indicating real influence within the global Communion,” Te Paa remarked, “that is when I felt a profound sense of humility.”

The Telegraph called her “an influential voice in Anglican liberal circles,” for her outspokenness in condemning homophobia, and her claim that the obsession of the church with trying to determine who should be allowed to remain within its fold distracted it from the suffering in the world.

Te Paa has written widely on identity politics — particularly on race and ethnicity within theological education. She holds a number of significant positions in international organizations including the Anglican Peace and Justice Network, the Inter-Anglican Theological Doctrinal Commission, and the Commission on Theological Education for the Anglican Communion established in 2003 by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Note: 2nd on the Telegraph’s 50 most influential Anglicans list was Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church of the US, who earned an MDiv and DD from GTU’s member school Church Divinity School of the Pacific.