Gender quota failure hits NZR in pocket

New Zealand Rugby is set to lose some of its government funding after not meeting a 40% board gender diversity quota.

NZ Rugby installed two more women onto the board in April, including former Governor General Dame Patsy Reddy and Rowena Davenport, lifting the total representation of women to 33%, below the required government quota. They join Dr Farah Palmer, who is the board’s deputy chair and chair of the NZ Mā ori Rugby board.

NZ Rugby is the only organisation of 66 qualifying sports bodies not to reach the government mandated 40% female quota on boards, introduced within the 2018 Strategy for Women and Girls in Sport and Active Recreation. The deadline to meet the quota was December 31, 2021.

Sport New Zealand chief executive Raelene Castle said the organisation ‘‘has always indicated that there will be implications for noncompliance’’ and confirmed there will be a ‘‘loss of some funding’’ for NZ Rugby.

A decision on how much government funding NZ Rugby could lose is yet to be made by the Sport

NZ board.

NZ Rugby received more than $9 million in funding from High Performance Sport New Zealand and Sport NZ in 2021, according to its recent financial statements.

Castle said Sport NZ and NZ Rugby had been in conversation about not reaching the quota target.

‘‘While they are working towards compliance, they have advised the likely earliest date will be at the AGM in April 2023,’’ she said.

Castle acknowledged NZ Rugby had made ‘‘positive strides’’ with the recent appointments.

A statement provided by NZ Rugby said it had not been given ‘‘a steer’’ from Sport NZ on what repercussions would look like.

NZ Rugby did acknowledge there is a ‘‘short-term financial risk’’ involved in not reaching the target, but said it is committed to long-term change in the governance space.

‘‘We have acknowledged that we have not met the Sport NZ set board diversity quota and know we can and must do better,’’ a NZ Rugby spokesperson said.

‘‘There is no denying that having diversity amongst board members is an asset to any entity, and NZ Rugby and our Provincial Unions are committed to ensuring we reach our targets of 50% diversity in all rugby boards, not just NZ Rugby, by 2024.

‘‘At governance level, we acknowledge that this is a journey and there’s more work to be done.’’

The statement said a plan is in place for the board, which includes the addition of an emerging board director, and details will be communicated after the next meeting.

This is the ‘‘Year of Women and Girls’’ in rugby, as the country is set to host the Rugby World Cup in October and November. Women’s teams are also being sent to the Commonwealth Games and Rugby World Cup Sevens. The inaugural Super Rugby Aupiki for women launched in March.

NZ Rugby said in the statement it has increased its investment in the women’s game from $7 million in 2018, to $27m in 2022, including a $10m investment for the Rugby World Cup.

The organisation currently has eight staff solely dedicated to the women’s game.

Women in Rugby Aotearoa (Wira) spokesperson Alice Soper said NZ Rugby’s loss of funding was a ‘‘disappointing reality’’ of not meeting the diversity quota target.

‘‘Our hope is that the intention and focus that was laid out in the [Black Ferns] review ... that NZ Rugby continues to make good on its commitment to investment into the women’s game, despite having to rejiggle its finances,’’ Soper said.

‘‘We have acknowledged that we have not met the Sport NZ set board diversity quota and know we can and must do better.’’ NZ Rugby spokesperson