Pauline Margaret O'Regan (28 June 1922 – 2 May 2019) was a New Zealand school teacher, community worker and writer.

Biography

Born in

Reefton Reefton is a small town in the West Coast region of New Zealand, some 80 km northeast of Greymouth, in the Inangahua River valley. Ahaura is 44 km south-west of Reefton, Inangahua Junction is 34 km to the north, Maruia is 63&nb ...

on 28 June 1922, O'Regan was the daughter of Margaret Mary O'Regan (née Barry) and John Joseph O'Regan. She was educated at St Mary's High School in

Greymouth Greymouth () (Māori: ''Māwhera'') is the largest town in the West Coast region in the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the Grey District Council. The population of the whole Grey District is , which accounts for % of the West Coas ...

, and entered the religious order of the

Sisters of Mercy The Sisters of Mercy is a religious institute of Catholic women founded in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland, by Catherine McAuley. As of 2019, the institute had about 6200 sisters worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations. They a ...

Ngā Whaea Atawhai o Aotearoa in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...

in 1942. She professed as a Sister of Mercy two years later, in 1944. O'Regan graduated from

Canterbury University College The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was f ...

with a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

in history in 1954. Between 1950 and 1966, O'Regan was principal of

Villa Maria College Villa Maria College is a private Roman Catholic college in Buffalo, New York. It was founded in 1960 by the Felician Sisters. History The college was initially a teacher-training center for sisters in the education apostolate and was establish ...

in Christchurch. During her tenure, the school roll increased from 48 to 450 students, academic standards rose, and she oversaw the building programme required to accommodate the roll growth. She then served as principal of Mercy College, Timaru from 1967 to 1968, and was a staff member at

Aranui High School Aranui High School was a large secondary school for years 9–13, in Christchurch, New Zealand. Aranui high school took its name from the suburb of Aranui, meaning 'big pathway' in Māori. Aranui High School was a coeducational alternative to oth ...

, Christchurch, from 1973 to 1977. From 1973, O'Regan lived in the

Aranui Aranui is one of the eastern suburbs of Christchurch. It is a lower socio-economic area. The area is predominantly residential with pockets of light industry. There is a cluster of shops and service facilities at the intersection of Breezes Roa ...

Community of Sisters of Mercy, to work in the community and train local women to become community leaders. In 1979, she was a Churchill Fellow, travelling to the United States and Britain to study community development, and from 1986 to 1991 she was a board member of the

Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Winston Churchill Memorial Trusts (WCMT) are three independent but related living memorials to Sir Winston Churchill, based in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. They exist for the purpose of administering Churchill Fellowships, a ...

in New Zealand. O'Regan began writing in the early 1980s, and published books on subjects including community development and her views of the Catholic church. She died in Christchurch on 2 May 2019.

Honours

In the 1990 New Year Honours, O'Regan was appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

, for services to education and the community. In the 2001 Queen's Birthday Honours, she was appointed a

Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rend ...

, also for services to education and the community. Following the restoration of titular honours by the New Zealand government in 2009, O'Regan declined redesignation as a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

Publications

Books written by O'Regan include: * * * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:O'Regan, Pauline 1922 births 2019 deaths People from Reefton University of Canterbury alumni Heads of schools in New Zealand 20th-century New Zealand Roman Catholic nuns Sisters of Mercy New Zealand women writers New Zealand Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit People educated at John Paul II High School, Greymouth