Hana O'Regan

Hana Merenea O'Regan (born 1973) is a Māori language advocate and academic in New Zealand. She is a member of the Ngāi Tahu iwi (tribe).

Early life and education O'Regan was born in Wellington, the youngest of five children, to Tipene O'Regan, an academic, and Sandra O'Regan, a nurse. O'Regan attended Kelburn Normal School, Roseneath Primary School, and Auckland's Queen Victoria Māori Girls' Boarding School. She spent her final school year as an AFS exchange student at Chaeng Ron Wittiya School in Bangkok, Thailand. She submitted her thesis, titled Te tīmataka mai o te waiatataka mai o te reo in 2016, and graduated PhD in July 2017.

Career In the early 1990s, O'Regan worked as a researcher for a number of organisation, including the Education Policy Division of Te Puni Kōkiri and Aoraki Consultant Services. In 1993, she was appointed assistant research officer for Te Tira Whakaemi Kōrero: Māori Research Unit at Victoria University and she also tutored in the Māori Studies Departments of both Victoria and Otago.

In 1997, O'Regan moved to Christchurch, where she was appointed head of the Māori language programme at CPIT (Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology). After four years at that institution, she took up the position of manager of the Māori Language Unit of the Ngāi Tahu tribal organisation where she helped develop and lead the tribal language strategy. She returned to CPIT as Dean of Te Puna Wānaka, the new Faculty of Māori Studies, in 2006. She also held positions as kaiārahi – director of Māori and Pasifika, and director of the Student Services Division. In 2015, she was appointed general manager of oranga (well-being) for Ngāi Tahu.

O'Regan is also a writer of poetry, waiata (songs), and non-fiction articles and papers. Much of her non-fiction writing is on Kāi Tahu tribal stories and histories.

Publications O'Regan, H. (2001). Ko Tahu, ko au: Kāi Tahu tribal identity. Christchurch: Horomaka Publishing. O'Regan, H., Kāretu, T., O'Regan, T., & Rangipunga, C. (2007). Kupu: a collection of contemporary Māori poetry. Christchurch: Ake Associates. O'Regan, H., Rangipunga, C., & Ake Associates. (2009). Kura kaumātua, he hokika mahara: Recalling the memories. Christchurch: Ake Associates.