A thorough revision of the New Zealand carabid genus Oregus Putzeys, 1868 was undertaken. All known and available specimens (2196) from national and selected international collections were examined. Both adult morphology (genitalic and external) and DNA sequence data (partial NADH dehydrogenase 1 and cytochrome oxidase I gene regions) were analysed to estimate the phylogeny. Phylogenetic results indicate that the genus comprises four species, including two new species from Marlborough and North Canterbury, assigned the manuscript names Oregus "septentrionalis" and Oregus "crypticus", respectively. No new species were found from the greater Dunedin area as had been previously suggested. Formal taxonomic descriptions are not provided, as these will be published at a later stage.