NZ Rugby on board with greater diversity

New Zealand Rugby’s affiliate bodies have voted 84-8 in favour of constitutional changes which will promote diversity.

The changes will see a new make-up of the New Zealand Rugby board, with the number of appointed members rising from three to six.

Three members of the board will be appointed by the Appointments and Remuneration Committee, with a view towards appointing people with a more diverse set of skills in life and business. At least one woman will be part of the Appointments and Remuneration Committee from now on.

New Zealand Rugby held a special general meeting. Leading the agenda was a proposed amendment to its constitution, altering the way in which the board is selected.

Of the nine members on the board, six were directly elected by affiliate unions. Under the changes voted for, only three spots will be voted for by the affiliate unions, with six to be appointed.

New Zealand Rugby chairman Brent Impey said the changes were sparked by a horrid 2016 for the union, which had to deal with multiple off-field issues.

Chief among them was the stripper scandal which embroiled the Chiefs Super Rugby franchise, as the game’s respect for women came under scrutiny.

A recent governance review highlighted issues with New Zealand Rugby’s diversity.

‘‘It gives an opportunity for the New Zealand Rugby board . . . to get with the times,’’ Impey said.

‘‘We’re looking to do two things. One, as New Zealand Rugby faces its challenges and opportunities going forward, we need to get more skills on our board, a wider skillset.

‘‘It also enables us to achieve some of our diversity goals. Whether that be gender, ethnicity, age, whatever, so that the board better represents who is playing the game, who our fans are, the rugby community if you like.’’

Impey said it was clear that New Zealand Rugby’s board was not diverse enough, and didn’t represent the nation.

‘‘Certainly, the issues which arose in 2016 were a catalyst to look at two areas. One, the way the game was governed which was the board, and secondly, around the issues which led to the respect and responsibility review and those recommendations which the board has adopted.

‘‘On the governance or board side of it, if there are issues, for example, involving women, which occurred in the Chiefs situation, or in one or two of the other incidents, you’ve got to represent who our society is.

‘‘It was very clear that we are not diverse enough.

‘‘We’re trying to change rugby’s leadership to reflect what we see in society.’’