Victoria honours Treaty claim pioneer

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Fri Feb 03 2006 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)

Victoria honours Treaty claim pioneer

Friday, 3 February 2006, 10:56 am
Press Release: Victoria University of Wellington

MEDIA RELEASE

3 February 2006

A Victoria University alumnus who was instrumental in negotiating two of the first and largest Treaty of Waitangi settlements is to receive an honorary doctorate from his alma mater.

Sir Tipene O’Regan, who will receive an honorary Doctor of Commerce degree from Victoria University of Wellington at its May graduation ceremonies, played a leading role in transforming South Island iwi, Ngāi Tahu, from an impoverished and virtually landless tribe into a growing force in South Island business and in reinvigorating its language and culture.

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Pat Walsh, said Sir Tipene had played a critical role in influencing the way both Māori and Pākehā viewed their world.

“When he began his work with Ngāi Tahu, the prospect that there would be major settlements of historical claims and that Māori language and culture would regain a central place in New Zealand life was not only a distant hope, it was almost inconceivable. Along with the contributions of others, Sir Tipene’s vision and drive brought about such change.

“Through leadership, critical thinking and outstanding communication skills, Sir Tipene has achieved at the highest levels in academia, culture, language, politics, business and community development. While Ngāi Tahu’s grievances dated from the 1840s and repeated attempts to have them recognised had failed, Sir Tipene astutely recognised that changes in New Zealand society in the 1970s and 80s meant the time was ripe to finally resolve them. Victoria University is recognising a graduate who has been one of the most influential New Zealanders of the late 20th Century.”

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Graduating from Victoria in 1968 with a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in history and political science, he joined the then Wellington Teachers’ College in that year as a lecturer and was later Head of its Department of Social Studies and Māori.

While at the College, which merged with Victoria in 2005, Sir Tipene influenced several generations of future educators with his understanding and grasp of New Zealand history. He was a leading force in the development of a one-year teacher training course of Māori language speakers, which met the strong demand for language training and stimulated the revival of the language in schools and the wider community.

Sir Tipene came to national prominence as a broadcaster, most notably as writer and presenter of the 1987 five-part television documentary series, Mana Whenua: The Natural World of the Māori. He has also made a substantial contribution as a writer, contributing to numerous books, journals and reports.

He then played a leading role in reaching the first major Treaty of Waitangi settlement between the Crown and Māori. The Treaty of Waitangi (Fisheries Claims) Settlement Act 1992 established Te Ohu Kai Moana (the Treaty of Waitangi Fisheries Commission), which used some of the $150 million pan-Māori settlement to buy a 50 percent stake in New Zealand’s largest fisheries company, Nelson-based Sealord Products Ltd. Sir Tipene chaired the Commission from 1993 to 2000 and through it, chaired the Sealord Group from 1993 to 2002. He was a pioneer in developing Māori participation in the business of fishing and aquaculture and his services to the industry were recognised by a Supreme Award from the New Zealand Seafood Industry Council in 2002.

As a member (1974-1996) and chairman (1983-96) of the Ngāi Tahu Māori Trust Board, Sir Tipene was a leading figure in the iwi’s long struggle for recognition of the wrongs it had suffered, including preparing and presenting its historical claims before the Waitangi Tribunal. Years of negotiation finally resulted in the passage of the Ngāi Tahu Claim Settlement Act in 1998. As Ngāi Tahu’s chief negotiator, he played a major role in developing ways the Crown could provide redress for Treaty breaches that became a model for later settlements.

It was during his years with the Ngāi Tahu Maori Trust Board that Sir Tipene wrestled with the challenge of developing modern economic and management structures for tribal groups that would allow them to become full and autonomous participants in the nation’s commercial life and move from the constrained modes arising from New Zealand’s colonial political heritage. The outcome was the tribally owned company focussed on blending active commercial engagement with intergenerational asset growth. While the structural and governance issues arising from tribal ownership will be, for some time yet, a work in progress, the model is widely established and will be a distinctive component of New Zealand’s economic and social culture.

While retiring from Ngāi Tahu’s commercial interests in recent years, Sir Tipene has continued to play a significant governance role with many public and private organisations and businesses both in New Zealand and Australia. He continues to serve Ngāi Tahu Whānui as Ūpoko (Head) of the Awarua Runaka. His most recent appointment has been as Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Māori) at the University of Canterbury. He received an honorary Doctor of Literature degree from the University of Canterbury in 1992 and a honorary Doctor of Commerce from Lincoln University in 2004. The National Business Review named him New Zealander of the Year in 1993 and he was knighted in 1994.

ENDS

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