Sir Tipene O'Regan is the former Chair of the Ngai Tahu Maori Trust Board, Ngai Tahu Holdings Corporation, Mawhera Incorporation, Te Ohu Kai Moana, the Sealord Group Ltd and Deputy Chair of Transit New Zealand. He led the Ngai Tahu claims, negotiation and settlement process 1985-1998. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Literature from the University of Canterbury in 1992. He holds Honorary Doctorates of Commerce from both Lincoln University and Victoria University of Wellington. He is Adjunct Professor at the Ngai Tahu Research Centre, University of Canterbury.