Katherine O'Regan

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use New Zealand English Template:Infobox officeholder Katherine Victoria O'Regan Template:Post-nominals (née Newton; 24 May 1946 – 2 May 2018) was a New Zealand politician. She was a member of parliament from 1984 to 1999, representing the National Party. She served as a minister for the National Government for six of those years.

Early life and family

O'Regan was born Katherine Victoria Newton in Hamilton on 24 May 1946 to Nettie and Jack Newton.<ref name="HBTQ">Template:Cite book</ref> She grew up on the family farm at Te Mata and was educated at Hamilton Girls' High School.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref> After leaving school, she chose a nursing career but left after two years due to suffering from back problems.<ref name=":0"/>

In 1968, she married Neil O'Regan, and the couple went on to have two children.<ref name="HBTQ"/> After marrying, Katherine O'Regan became involved in community organisations including the Plunket Society, the Hamilton branch of SPELD (a non-profit organisation that supports people with dyslexia), and the Hamilton Speech Therapy Association.<ref name=":0"/> After her divorce, O'Regan married former National MP Michael Cox in 1992.<ref name="HBTQ"/>

Early political career

O'Regan was a voting delegate for the National Party in the Raglan electorate candidate selection ahead of the 1975 election, where she supported Marilyn Waring.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":1">Template:Cite book</ref> O'Regan would work for Waring as her electoral agent for eight years.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> She was elected to the Waipa County Council in 1977 and served as a county councillor for eight years; she was the first woman to be elected to the council.

Parliamentary career

Template:NZ parlbox header Template:NZ parlbox Template:NZ parlbox Template:NZ parlbox Template:NZ parlbox Template:NZ parlbox Template:NZ parlbox footer When Marilyn Waring, then representing the Waipa electorate, retired from Parliament, O'Regan was selected as the new National Party candidate for the electorate in 1984. She held Waipa for twelve years until it was abolished in 1996.<ref name="Women in parliament">Template:Cite web</ref>

In Opposition, 1984–1990

The National Government was defeated at the 1984 election. On her entry to Parliament, O'Regan sought to highlight the plight of children with specific learning disabilities by introducing a private members bill seeking recognition by the education system of children with these disabilities. It was not successful, but the bill was carried over by the Labour Party in Government. It was finally discharged after 1990.

In Government, 1990–1999

National regained the government benches in 1990. In the Fourth National Government, O'Regan was appointed as a Minister outside of Cabinet, as Minister of Consumer Affairs, Associate Minister of Health, Associate Minister of Social Welfare and Associate Minister of Women's Affairs. These remained her portfolios until the 1996 election; she additionally served as Minister of Youth Affairs in 1996. As Associate Minister of Health, she amended the Human Rights Act to outlaw discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and having organisms in the body which might cause disease and established a free breast cancer screening programme.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1994, O'Regan led the New Zealand delegation to the United Nations International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo and also gave the Second Country Report to CEDAW at the United Nations in New York.

Ahead of the 1996 general election, the Waipa electorate was disestablished. O'Regan contested the Tauranga electorate against the former National Party MP for Tauranga, Winston Peters, who was contesting the electorate under his New Zealand First Party. O'Regan was unsuccessful in this election but remained in Parliament as a list MP.<ref name="Women in parliament" /> With the National Party forming a coalition government with New Zealand First, O'Regan did not continue as a minister and was instead appointed the Chairperson of the Internal Affairs select committee from 1996 to 1999. O'Regan continued her interest in population and development issues by establishing, with the help of Family Planning International, a New Zealand Parliamentarians' Group on Population and Development.<ref name="NZPPD">Template:Cite web</ref>

In the 1999 general election, she again challenged Peters, and came within 62 votes of defeating him—had she won, the New Zealand First party would have lost all parliamentary representation. Labour's candidate Margaret Wilson, who came third in the electorate, requested a recount.<ref name="recount requested">Template:Cite news</ref> The final result was a 63 votes majority for Peters.<ref name="1999 final result">Template:Cite web</ref> O'Regan attempted to oust Peters from the electorate by encouraging voters to vote tactically, and vote for her rather than Labour's Wilson. However, Peters was re-elected but with a much reduced margin.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Unlike in 1996, O'Regan was not high enough on National's party list to remain in Parliament and thus retired from politics.

Later life and death

After leaving Parliament, O'Regan remained engaged in community activities. She was the chair of the Te Awamutu Community Public Relations Organisation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She served as chair of the human ethics in research committee at Waikato Institute of Technology for eight years, and was a member of the complaints committee of the Waikato/Bay of Plenty branch of the New Zealand Law Society.<ref name="Stuff 5 May 2018">Template:Cite news</ref>

O'Regan was also interested in genealogy, researching and writing books on several branches of her family.<ref name=":0"/>

In 2008, O'Regan was diagnosed with breast cancer, through the free screening programme she had established as Associate Minister of Health.<ref name=":2" /> She died of her illness on 2 May 2018, at the age of 71.<ref name="Stuff 5 May 2018"/>

Honours and awards

In 1990, O'Regan received the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal, and three years later she was awarded the New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal 1993.<ref name="HBTQ"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the 2002 Queen's Birthday and Golden Jubilee Honours, O'Regan was appointed a Companion of the Queen's Service Order for public services.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Political views

O'Regan was a council member of Family Planning New Zealand. She favoured compulsory sex education from age ten and condom vending machines in all secondary schools and public toilets.<ref name="No bitter pill">Template:Cite news</ref> In an obituary, her daughter Susan O'Regan described her mother as a Royalist, feminist, and strong believer in equal rights.<ref name=":0" />

Further reading

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