New faces and new direction for the Bay rugby board

Bay of Plenty Rugby Union Board member Scott Kahle will replace Paul Owen as new chairman as the union embarks on a new direction with the establishment of an independent commercial board.

“It’s been a time of continual change,” says Owen when reflecting on his seven years at the helm.

“With the introduction of a commercial board and a separate, more rugby-focused board, I saw it as the ideal time to stand down.”

Kahle said he is excited and honoured to have the opportunity to lead Bay of Plenty Rugby.

“While we have significant challenges to navigate I am confident that through the work of the board over the past few years, we are well prepared to deal with them.

“I think like every provincial union, out of necessity we had started to spend a disproportionate amount of time in our board meetings focusing on ways to generate revenue with the reduction in our core revenue streams, including New Zealand Rugby funding and the pressure on trust funding,”

Kahle said it’s refreshing to have the expertise of a commercial board to focus on revenue generation and enable the rugby Board to focus on rugby and how we deliver that back to the community.

Meanwhile, Sam Fellows and Phil Barnett are the newest members to be appointed to the BOPRU Rugby Board.

They will replace the departing Owen and another long-standing member, Bill Gartshore.

Kahle stressed the importance of thanking Owen, and Gartshore for their service.

“Paul and Bill have made an enormous contribution to the Bay of Plenty Rugby Union over a long period of time and have brought excellent rugby orientated and commercial skills.

“They have helped the Union evolve into the strong position that is in today. I want to personally thank them on behalf of the Bay rugby board for their amazing work.”