| Max Abbott | |
| Birth Name: | Max Wenden Abbott |
| Birth Date: | 7 June 1951 |
| Birth Place: | Featherston, New Zealand |
| Alma Mater: | University of Canterbury |
| Thesis Title: | Inter-relations between cognitive factors in the prediction of outcome among chronic alcoholics |
| Thesis Url: | http://hdl.handle.net/10092/4757 |
| Thesis Year: | 1979 |
| Doctoral Advisor: | Robert Gregson |
| Discipline: | Psychology |
| Workplaces: | Auckland University of Technology |
Max Wenden Abbott (born 7 June 1951) is a New Zealand psychologist. He served as director of the New Zealand Mental Health Foundation from 1981 to 1991. An expert in gambling addiction, he was a professor at Auckland University of Technology from 1991 to 2020, when he resigned following an allegation of sexual harassment.
Born in Featherston on 7 June 1951,[1] Abbott was educated at Kuranui College in Greytown.[2] He went on to study at Victoria University of Wellington, where he earned Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in 1971 and 1973, respectively.[1] He then completed a diploma at Christchurch Secondary Teachers' College in 1974, and a Master of Arts degree at the University of Canterbury in 1977.[1] He subsequently undertook doctoral studies at Canterbury; his PhD thesis, supervised by Robert Gregson and completed in 1979, was titled Inter-relations between cognitive factors in the prediction of outcome among chronic alcoholics.[1] [3] In 1980, Abbott received a Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Psychology from the University of Canterbury.[1]
Abbott was the inaugural national director of the Mental Health Foundation, a position he held from 1981 until 1991.[1] [2] He was also president of the World Federation for Mental Health from 1991 to 1993.[4]
In 1991, Abbott joined the Auckland Institute of Technology—now Auckland University of Technology (AUT)—as dean of the Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, and remained there until his resignation in 2020.[2] [5] He also served as pro-vice-chancellor at AUT,[6] and is a noted expert in the field of gambling addiction.[7]
In 1990, Abbott was awarded the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal.[1] In the 2016 New Year Honours, he was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to health, science and education.[8] In 2018, Abbott was a recipient of AUT's University Medal.[9]
In August 2019, a five-page complaint was laid against Abbott for sexual harassment of an overseas colleague over a period of two years.[10] [11] After an investigation, Abbott resigned from AUT,[12] and apologised to the complainant.[13]