Sir Tipene O'Regan (born Stephen Gerard O'Regan on 1 January 1939) is a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

academic and company director.

Biography

Early life and career

O'Regan is the son of surgeon

Rolland O'Regan Rolland O'Regan FRCS (born John Arthur Rolland O'Regan; 1 June 1904 – 20 November 1992) was a New Zealand surgeon, activist and politician. He was the son of judge Patrick O'Regan and the father of Richard Mark O'Regan and businessman and acad ...

and Rena Ruiha (née Bradshaw). His mother was of the

Ngāi Tahu Ngāi Tahu, or Kāi Tahu, is the principal Māori (tribe) of the South Island. Its (tribal area) is the largest in New Zealand, and extends from the White Bluffs / Te Parinui o Whiti (southeast of Blenheim), Mount Mahanga and Kahurangi Poi ...

tribe and was raised in

Bluff Bluff or The Bluff may refer to: Places Australia * Bluff, Queensland, Australia, a town * The Bluff, Queensland (Ipswich), a rural locality in the city of Ipswich * The Bluff, Queensland (Toowoomba Region), a rural locality * Bluff River (New So ...

. O'Regan was raised in Wellington. He studied at

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well know ...

and teachers' college, then worked as a primary school teacher for two years. He returned to teachers' college as a lecturer in 1968 and remained in that role until 1983. In 1974 he stood alongside his father Rolland on the Labour Party ticket for the

Wellington Harbour Board (Strong but true) , predecessor = , merged = , successor = , formation = , founder = , founding_location = , dissolved = , merger = , type ...

. He polled well but did not win a seat. He was appointed to the Ngāi Tahu Māori Trust Board in 1976. He was on the board for 22 years and was chair for 13 years. He guided the board to successful land and sea fisheries claims before the

Waitangi Tribunal The Waitangi Tribunal (Māori: ''Te Rōpū Whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi'') is a New Zealand permanent commission of inquiry established under the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975. It is charged with investigating and making recommendations on cla ...

, culminating in the Tribunal's reports of 1991 and 1992. He later led claim settlement negotiations leading to the 1998 settlement which made extensive provision for customary rights in fisheries and other natural resources. He is a director of a wide range of South Island Māori enterprises. In the 1994 Queen's Birthday Honours, O'Regan was appointed a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...

, for services to the Māori people and the community. In 2019 he was made a Companion of

Royal Society Te Apārangi The Royal Society Te Apārangi (in full, Royal Society of New Zealand Te Apārangi) is an independent, statutory not-for-profit body in New Zealand providing funding and policy advice in the fields of sciences and the humanities. History The R ...

Later activities

O'Regan is currently associate lecturer and assistant

vice chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor is ...

(

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

) at the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

, New Zealand, associated with both the history and Māori departments. He was awarded an honorary D.Litt. by the University of Canterbury in 1992. In March 2009, O'Regan was commemorated as one of the

Twelve Local Heroes The ''Twelve Local Heroes'' is a series of bronze busts located in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand on Worcester Boulevard outside the Arts Centre An art centre or arts center is distinct from an art gallery or art museum. An ...

of Christchurch, and a bronze bust of him was unveiled outside the

Christchurch Arts Centre The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora is a hub for arts, culture, education, creativity and entrepreneurship in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is located in the Gothic Revival former Canterbury College (now the University of Canterbury), Christchur ...

. He is a director of Milford Dart Ltd, a company which proposed a

tunnel A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube cons ...

through the

Southern Alps The Southern Alps (; officially Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana) is a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the range's western side. The name "Southern ...

to more than halve the time taken to negotiate the road between resort centres Queenstown and

Milford Sound Milford Sound / Piopiotahi is a fiord in the south west of New Zealand's South Island within Fiordland National Park, Piopiotahi (Milford Sound) Marine Reserve, and the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site. It has been judged the world's top tra ...

. The proposal had

Department of Conservation An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment ...

approval but there was opposition because the tunnel would be in a National Park and UNESCO World heritage area. O'Regan argued the "absurdity of spending over 11 hours in a day to go to Milford from Queenstown", but in July 2013, the Minister of Conservation, Nick Smith, declined the proposal because of significant environmental impacts. O'Regan was a member of the

New Zealand Geographic Board The New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa (NZGB) was established by the New Zealand Geographic Board Act 1946, which has since been replaced by the New Zealand Geographic Board (Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa) Act 2008. Althoug ...

from 1985 to 2013, and from 2010 he has co-chaired the Constitutional Advisory Panel, which is seeking public input on constitutional reform in

. In the 2022 Queen's Birthday and Platinum Jubilee Honours, O'Regan was appointed an additional

Member of the Order of New Zealand The Order of New Zealand is the highest honour in the New Zealand royal honours system, created "to recognise outstanding service to the Crown and people of New Zealand in a civil or military capacity". It was instituted by royal warrant on 6 F ...

, for services to New Zealand.

References

atns.net.au

maori.canterbury.ac.nz

hist.canterbury.ac.nz
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oregan, Tipene 1939 births Living people New Zealand Knights Bachelor Ngāi Tahu people Treaty of Waitangi University of Canterbury faculty New Zealand Māori academics University of Canterbury alumni New Zealand businesspeople People educated at St. Patrick's College, Wellington New Zealand Labour Party politicians Companions of the Royal Society of New Zealand Members of the Order of New Zealand