13 Facts About Tipene O'Regan

Tipene O'Regan's mother was of the Ngai Tahu tribe and was raised in Bluff.

Tipene O'Regan studied at Victoria University of Wellington and teachers' college, then worked as a primary school teacher for two years.

Tipene O'Regan returned to teachers' college as a lecturer in 1968 and remained in that role until 1983.

Tipene O'Regan was appointed to the Ngai Tahu Maori Trust Board in 1976.

Tipene O'Regan was on the board for 22 years and was chair for 13 years.

Tipene O'Regan guided the board to successful land and sea fisheries claims before the Waitangi Tribunal, culminating in the Tribunal's reports of 1991 and 1992.

Tipene O'Regan later led claim settlement negotiations leading to the 1998 settlement which made extensive provision for customary rights in fisheries and other natural resources.

Tipene O'Regan is a director of a wide range of South Island Maori enterprises.

Tipene O'Regan was an associate lecturer and assistant vice chancellor at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand, associated with both the history and Maori departments.

In March 2009, Tipene O'Regan was commemorated as one of the Twelve Local Heroes of Christchurch, and a bronze bust of him was unveiled outside the Christchurch Arts Centre.

Tipene O'Regan was a director of Milford Dart Ltd, a company which proposed a tunnel through the Southern Alps to more than halve the time taken to negotiate the road between resort centres Queenstown and Milford Sound.

Tipene 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.

Tipene O'Regan was a member of the New Zealand Geographic Board from 1985 to 2013, and from 2010 he has co-chaired the Constitutional Advisory Panel, which is seeking public input on constitutional reform in New Zealand.