AUCKLAND – New Zealand Rugby (NZR) has described the players’ union call for the board to step down while governance reforms are carried out as a distraction and not in spirit of the review which triggered the planned changes.
The governing body of the country’s favourite sport is at loggerheads with the provincial rugby unions over the exact formulation of the new leadership structure of the game.
The New Zealand Rugby Players Association (NZRPA) released a statement on April 2 saying they backed neither side and wanted the full recommendations of 2023’s governance review to be enacted.
In order to achieve this aim, they made a raft of recommendations, including that the entire NZR board should stand down and an interim appointments panel be set up.
“The NZR board welcomes the NZRPA’s perspective outlined this week on governance reform, which reflects significant points of agreement with NZR’s proposal to deliver that reform,” NZR said in a statement on April 5.
“Calls for the current NZR board to stand down are a distraction and do not accurately reflect the findings of the governance review, which was focused on governance reform at a high level rather than any concerns around the perceived performance of the current board.”
NZR chairwoman Patsy Reddy said in March she would review her position if her proposed board reforms were scuppered.
The new leadership structure proposed by Reddy calls for all members of the board to be independent.
The 26 provincial unions have drawn up an alternative proposal, which demands that at least three of the nine members have two years’ experience on one of their boards.
“The NZR board remains committed to the principle of an independent board, an independent process for board appointments and a well-managed transition period,” the statement on April 5 added.
“The board’s focus is on working with our voting members on the details of a resolution they will support to achieve that objective of a shift to an independent model of governance.”
The governance review was commissioned in December 2022 after NZR secured a NZ$200 million (S$162.3 million) cash injection by selling a stake in its commercial business to American private equity firm Silver Lake.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong kicked off the Rugby Sevens tournament on April 5, one of the city’s most popular sporting events, with international visitors returning after three years of Covid-19 restrictions and as authorities try to boost the financial hub’s allure.
The three-day competition will be the tournament’s first sell-out since the pandemic, organisers said.
Overseas ticket sales for the Sevens returned to over 40 per cent of the total in 2024 for the 40,000-capacity Hong Kong Stadium, supported by strong uptake from Britain, Australia and Fiji, said the Hong Kong Rugby Union.
This compares with just 23 per cent of overseas ticket sales in 2023 and 3 per cent in 2022, due to strict Covid-19 restrictions which kept many tourists away.
It is expected to be the last year that the Sevens will be held at Hong Kong Stadium before moving in 2025 to the new 50,000-seater Kai Tak Sports Park.
REUTERS
