NZ Rugby ‘unlikely to meet quota’
New Zealand Rugby is unlikely to reach the 40 per cent female representation on its board, risking its funding, as Sport NZ reiterates board diversity is still a priority.
All sports bodies that receive more than $50,000 in government funding must hit the quota by December 2021.
NZ Rugby’s only female board member, former Black Fern and academic Dr Farah Palmer, said while the organisation might get close, it’s unlikely NZR would meet the quota by the end of 2021. There are eight men on the board.
‘‘I don’t think we’ll reach [the quota] by the deadline, but I think we’re making progress towards it,’’ she said.
Palmer spoke on a women in sport panel via Zoom hosted by Global Women, also featuring Paralympics CEO Fiona Allan, New Zealand Olympic Committee CEO Keryn Smith and former double international turned MP Louisa Wall, yesterday.
NZ Rugby is due to hold its AGM by the end of this month.
‘‘Watch this space because I don’t think I’m going to be alone for much longer on the board as a woman,’’ Palmer said.
The former Black Ferns captain said a year ago the organisation was struggling to attract women to board roles, but at that time NZR board chair Brent Impey told regional unions NZR was ‘‘serious’’ about getting more women through pathways and onto boards.
‘‘As a result of that we’ve seen more women putting their name forward through the various ways you can get on the board,’’ she said.
Traditional pathways include the ‘‘highly competitive’’ appointed independent route or being nominated by the regional unions, Palmer said.
‘‘We’ve [also] created an inbetween space where unions can nominate but it goes to an appointment panel, which takes that voting component out of it,’’ she said.
‘‘[I’m] really looking forward to seeing some diversity in many ways in terms of the way that we think . . . [and] a different approach we take to decision making collaboration.’’
Under the Women and Girls in Sport and Active Recreation Strategy launched by Sport New Zealand 18 months ago, sports bodies that do not meet the 40 per cent female board director quota risk losing its government funding.
NZR will receive $550,000 in funding for community projects in 2020. It received $1.2 million and $900,000 in High Performance funding in 2020 for it’s women’s and men’s sevens teams.
Early this month Sport New Zealand reiterated to sports bodies that diversity on boards is still a key priority and something that organisations need to prioritise, even during lockdown.
Sport NZ CEO Peter Miskimmin said the board diversity target remains in place even though other initiatives have been put on hold.
‘‘The Board Diversity Target remains in place because this work is well under way and opportunities for organisations to improve board diversity will still come up through the cycle of directorship tenures and appointments,’’ he said.
‘‘Most national boards are already tracking well towards the target.’’