Sir Mark Andrew O'Regan (born 30 November 1953) is a New Zealand lawyer and jurist. He was the President of the

Court of Appeal of New Zealand The Court of Appeal of New Zealand () is the principal intermediate appellate court of New Zealand. It is also the final appellate court for a number of matters. In practice, most appeals are resolved at this intermediate appellate level, rathe ...

until his elevation to the

Supreme Court of New Zealand The Supreme Court of New Zealand () is the highest court and the court of last resort of New Zealand. It formally came into being on 1 January 2004 and sat for the first time on 1 July 2004. It replaced the right of appeal to the Judicial Co ...

in 2014.

Biography

Born on 30 November 1953 and educated at

St Patrick's College, Silverstream St Patrick's College is a state-integrated Catholic boys' day and boarding secondary school located in Silverstream, Upper Hutt, New Zealand. It was established in 1931 when the original St Patrick's College, Wellington that had been establi ...

, O'Regan graduated from

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington (), also known by its shorter names "VUW" or "Vic", is a public university, public research university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of New Zealand Parliament, Parliament, and w ...

. He was admitted as a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

and solicitor of the High Court in 1977 and became a partner with the law firm Chapman Tripp in 1984. As a lawyer, he was known particularly for his expertise in relation to commercial law. He co-authored the New Zealand Law Commission paper which led to the eventual adoption of a register for personal property securities in New Zealand. O'Regan was appointed to the High Court in 2001 and to the Court of Appeal in January 2004. He was elevated to the Supreme Court in 2014. In the

2013 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2013 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrati ...

, O'Regan was appointed a

Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit () is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant (document), royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of New Zealand, Queen of New Zealand, "for th ...

for services to the judiciary. O'Regan is married to the writer Nicola Saker, who in the 2023 King's Birthday and Coronation Honours was appointed a

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit () is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ...

, for services to heritage preservation and the arts. On 2 November 2023, shortly before reaching the mandatory age of retirement, O'Regan was granted retention of the title ''The Honourable'' for life, in recognition of his service as a judge of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, and High Court.

References

1953 births Living people 20th-century New Zealand lawyers Victoria University of Wellington alumni Court of Appeal of New Zealand judges High Court of New Zealand judges People educated at St Patrick's College, Silverstream Place of birth missing (living people) Knights Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit 21st-century New Zealand judges {{NewZealand-law-bio-stub