Barry Pateman

Pateman, Barry John

On 22 September 2026 in Wellington after a short illness. Dearly loved partner of Jessica. Loving father to his son Paul, his granddaughter Lila and her mother Winnie. A much-loved son-in-law, brother-in-law, and especially uncle to Lucas and Tom. He was preceded in death by his first partner, Paul’s mother Jenny. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him. A small service will be held at Karori Small Chapel on Monday 28 September at 11.00 am.

Details for Barry’s service, to send a tribute and to watch the livestream are available online at https://lychgate.co.nz/upcoming-funerals/ messages to the family may also be posted c/- Lychgate Funerals, 306 Willis Street, Aro Valley, Wellington, 6011.

Tributes

Anahera Morehu

E te rangatira e Barry, hoea rā tō waka wairua ki te kāinga tūturu ea ai.
E te whānau pani i noho pōuri rawa nei. E Jess kourua ko Paul, kia kaha kei raro i te kapua pōuri me te mahara ki tōna oranga tika me te hātakēhi.
My sincere condolences to the whānau who have been left bereft with the passing of this dear and wonderful entity in your lives. He was a poutokomanawa for you both, and I hope we can lift your spirits to help guide you during this time of sadness with fond memories, ability to laugh and share some of his hardcase stories, and to support you in the hard times ahead. This is not an easy journey.
E Barry, haere, haere, haere atu rā. Hoki mai ki a tātou o te hunga ora. Rātou ki a rātou. Tātou ki a tātou.
Kia kaha, kia māia, kia manawanui. Aroha nui rawa atu.

James Birmingham

Barry was a gem, we only met a few times, but his passion and dedication to anarchist scholarship and history was truly an inspiration for me. May his memory be a blessing.

Rebecca Baverstock 

Barry Pateman was my English teacher many years ago & was simply the best teacher I had. His love for the subject, his enthusiasm and brilliant sense of humour made each & every lesson he taught a joy. Nobody else could match his storytelling! But more important than that was his belief in his students. The confidence he gave me to belief in myself has stayed with me all these years, along with his fervent encouragement to think outside of the box & I am so grateful to him for his brilliant teaching style & larger than life personality, it made learning a real pleasure. He will be missed by so many.

Claire Mansfield 

Dear Mr Pateman’s loved ones,

I’m really sorry for your loss. Mr Pateman was my English A level teacher over 25 years ago and was absolutely inspirational and as you will well know, a complete one of a kind. We all adored his dry humour and warmth, and belief in us to become good humans. He once sat in class at the front teaching us, on a chair that slowly collapsed under him, gently spilling him out on to the floor in front of us. We all, including Mr Pateman, erupted into a very long and raucous laughter. When we finished our A levels someone re-enacted the moment in our last class with him, which he received in his normal, lovely good humour. I don’t think any other teacher could hold the attention of a group of rowdy teenagers in such a warm and engaging way. He taught us so much more than academia; he taught us how to be kind, to have enquiring minds and believe in ourselves. I went on to become a psychologist and I’m sure that’s because of the critical mind that Mr Pateman fostered in his classes. I’m sure he leaves a legacy of so many people that feel changed for the better for knowing him in some way.

Mitch Mike Harris 

Condolences to Barry’s family, friends and comrades. If memory serves me correctly, I first heard of Barry during the 1980s UK miners strike. Over the years we exchanged short notes. We met once, maybe twice while he was here in the US. From the point of view of a comrade, he was a decent human being and comrade. You will be missed comrade.

Anthony Kavanagh

“Mr. Pateman” was my English teacher over 40 years ago. He was an extraordinary teacher and a warm human being. His ability to make us dig deep, analyse and question not just our texts but life around us taught me much more about critical thinking and the human condition than I even realised. There are few humans who can inspire and open something within us like he did – I’ve never forgotten him and the spark he provided. My condolences to his family and plethora of students who had the same honour and privilege to be taught by him. Truly an example of what one human being can do to improve our world.

Toby Boraman

Barry was an amazing person. He was wise and had a real cutting ability to get the point and see things clearly, while at the same time enjoying life and expressing his general mirthfulness. A magnificent speaker and had many tales about Yorkshire, Black Flag, the ABC, Stuart Christie, Spain, and all. He arrived in Aotearoa NZ 14 years ago, and was a breath of fresh air with his experience in the UK and California and international contacts. He was world famous as a historian in the anarcho world, working away on major book projects about Emma Goldman and Berkman here, but few in this country knew that. A genuine comrade. Salud. We will miss him.

Peter Clayworth

Deeply saddened to hear of Barry’s death. I greatly enjoyed working with him years ago with the Labour History Project in Wellington. He was a great advocate for people’s history, a great storyteller, a fine anarchist and a fabulous human being. Tōku aroha ki a Jess kōrua ko Paul- my condolences to Barry’s whanau and Fellow Workers. In Solidarity- Peter

Erik Hetzner

I can’t count the things that Barry taught me. His knowledge, curiosity, storytelling and gentle encouragement introduced me to a world of people, ideas and literature. He had a profound impact on my life, and, from reading some of these tributes, he had the same impact on many others. I will miss him dearly and my heart is with his family.

Zach Blue

I am lucky and grateful to have spent so much time with Barry the last couple decades. At book fairs, at the Kate Sharpley Library, the Alexander Berkman Social Club, sitting around listening to music, drinking coffee, eating Mexican food, or talking about the latest anarchist history book. We were in touch regularly, and he and Jessica were so generous to take time to visit me and Lorna after they moved to New Zealand. He had a keen interest in people. Every time we talked Barry would ask about friends and acquaintances he hadn’t spoken with in a while; he deeply cared about people’s well-being. He was also interested in projects I was working on and would let me know about his research, sharing snippets, which I always welcomed and encouraged. It’s been a hard week. Watching videos of Barry online and remembering the good times has helped. He was my favorite anarchist.

Charles Weigl

It’s really hard to think of this world without Barry moving through it. Although our contact decreased after his move to New Zealand, he was and is always present in me as a formative force: political, ethical, intellectual, and personal. Whether he was gently (or not-so-gently but usually hilariously) making me rethink the way I approached some political/historical question or offering thoughts (never advice) on becoming a father, he helped make me who I am today…the good parts, at least. His contributions to anarchism through the countless projects and publications he produced, supported, and inspired are a vital and ongoing resource to all of us who struggle for freedom and justice. And they will continue to be. He’s not gone and never will be. All love to Jessica and Paul, and all solidarity to all who loved him.

Jared Davidson

Kia ora Jess and whānau, sending our love on behalf of Zoe, Meredith, Rowan and myself. This is such a sad loss. Barry was so generous with his time – whether it was writing a foreword or meeting up at a windy Wellington beach, or sharing a yarn about the many important events he was a part of. His work on anarchist history was inspiring to me personally, and obviously so important to the wider community. Not only that, he was a decent person. He clearly lived his values. Wishing you all the best through this difficult time.

Devra H

I am so grateful for everything I learned from Barry, and more importantly for his steadfast friendship over the years and decades. I will miss him dearly.

Adele McDermott-Knight

Sincere condolences to all the family- very sad news. Barry was a one -off: funny, kind and exceptional. Fellow Yorkshire person , cat person and I owe being an NQT in Peterborough to Barry all those years ago. True respect – never forgotten your Hamlet lessons and poetry , your academic prowess and the fact that you loved Sainsburys custard . What a man ! Stay strong Jessica, Paul and family.

Tyneside Anarchist Archive

Sending love to friends & family.

Abbey Willis

I met Barry in 2009 when he gave the opening address at the inaugural NAASN conference in Hartford, CT. I was immediately drawn to his vast experience and knowledge—I knew I could learn a lot from an important anarchist elder with the coolest stache in town. But what drew me in most acutely was his sarcasm, wit, and bone-dry sense of humor. My favorite part of our friendship wasn’t discussing Official Political Theory; but rather, being able to discuss ordinary, daily life, and with Barry, that meant gallows-humoring your way through it all. He reminded me that it’s ok, even quite lovely and powerful, to be grumpy.
You know you’ve done something right in life when mostly everyone at your funeral mentions your wit, humor, and remembers you continuously exclaiming, “No Platform for Fascists.” RIP Barry, see you on the other side 🖤❤️