Dr Hana O’Regan Steps Into Tumu Whakarae Role At CORE Education

CORE Education, a learning-focused social enterprise, welcomes Dr Hana O’Regan (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Waitaha) as their Tumu Whakarae (CEO). She takes up her new position in mid-September.

Dr O’Regan brings a rare combination of executive leadership, experience as an education practitioner, international recognition as a te reo Māori expert and advocate, and skill in working with iwi to implement the intent of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Formerly the General Manager of Oranga/ Wellbeing for Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, Dr O’Regan’s wide and deep background makes her ideally suited to lead CORE — an organisation whose vision, “An equitable and thriving Aotearoa through learning,” has become even more timely in the context of the inequities sharply emphasised by the coronavirus pandemic.

With approximately 200 staff and offices in Christchurch, Wellington, and Auckland CORE delivers professional learning to leaders and teachers throughout the education sector, as well as government, corporates, and other organisations.

Dr O’Regan says, “I am absolutely overjoyed to be able to join the team at CORE Education. For a long time I have watched from afar the incredible work of this organisation within our communities. I am therefore understandably excited to be given the opportunity to become a part of such a passionate group of people who are so enthusiastic about learning and what they do.”

CORE Board Chair Michaela Blacklock says the Board is thrilled to welcome Hana to CORE and look forward to working with her on realising CORE’s vision.

Dr Hana O’Regan

Dr Hana O’Regan joins CORE following a role as General Manager of Oranga/ Wellbeing for Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, where she led a portfolio encompassing the areas of Education, Health, Tribal Economies, Iwi Capability, Tertiary Education and Employment Transition and the tribal Iwi Investment programme, Whai Rawa. Prior to returning to Ngāi Tahu, Hana spent ten years at The Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology, CPIT (now known as Ara Institute of Canterbury) and held the positions of Director Māori and Pasifika and Director Student Services.

Hana has held positions as the Manager of the Māori Language Unit of the Ngāi Tahu tribal organisation, lecturer at the University of Otago, Lecturer, Head of School and Faculty Dean at CPIT. She has also held a number of memberships on national and local boards, advisory groups and review panels across areas from education and health, to Treaty rights, Government Strategies and National Identity kaupapa. Hana is currently a New Zealand Fellow on the International Centre for Language Revitalisation, ICLR and a member of Ngāi Kaitūhono, Māori Advisory Board to NZQA. A proud mother of two teenagers, Hana is committed to te reo in the home and intergenerational transmission of the language.

Hana was born in Wellington, the youngest of five children, to Tā Tipene and Lady Sandra O'Regan. She has a BA from Victoria University of Wellington, where she studied Māori studies and political science; a postgraduate diploma and a master's degree in Māori studies, both from the University of Otago; and a PhD from Auckland University of Technology.

Hana also writes poetry, waiata, and non-fiction articles and papers. Much of her non-fiction writing is on Kāi Tahu tribal stories and histories.

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