Our Board

Many of the decisions concerning New Zealand's national teams, domestic competitions, financial management and rugby traditions can only be made by a vote of the Board.

The Board’s structure includes three Elected Board Members, three Appointed Board Members, and three Nominated Board Members. Nominated Board Members are to be nominated by Provincial Unions or the New Zealand Māori Rugby Board, then appointed by the Appointments and Remuneration Committee.

One of the Nominated Board Member positions must be filled by a Māori representative and that person is automatically appointed as NZR Representative on the New Zealand Māori Rugby Board.

All Board Members must resign from, and be independent of, any Provincial Union office.

Rt Hon Dame Patsy Reddy

Chair

Appointed Board Member

Board Member since 2022, Chair since February 2023

People, Safety and Capability Committee

New Zealand Rugby Board Representative on New Zealand Rugby Commercial Board

Former Governor-General Dame Patsy has had extensive experience in governance and consulting roles in both the private and public sector. She has served as a non-executive director of Telecom Corporation, Sky City Entertainment Group, Air New Zealand, New Zealand Post and Payments NZ Ltd. Dame Patsy also served as Chair of the New Zealand Film Commission, Deputy Chair of Waka Kotahi, and Chair of Education Payroll Ltd. She has also had significant involvement in governance of creative and charitable organisations.

Bailey Mackey

Deputy Chair

Nominated Board Member

Board Member since 2020

New Zealand Rugby Board Representative on New Zealand Rugby Commercial Board

Bailey brings immense broadcast media experience as Founder and CEO of Pango Productions – a privately owned film and television company. He is also the founder of tech startup and online production management tool KAHA. Bailey is the representative for the Creative sector on the Prime Minister's Business Advisory Council. In 2017, he was named Māori Entrepreneur of the Year.

Dame Farah Palmer

Deputy Chair

Board member since 2016

Māori Representative

Rugby Committee

People, Safety and Capability Committee

Dame Farah brings strong academic, Māori rugby and women’s rugby experience to the Board. The former Black Fern (35 Tests, 1996-2006) captained the team to three consecutive Rugby World Cups, was inducted to the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2014 and has served on the New Zealand Māori Rugby Board since 2007. Dame Farah is a senior lecturer in Massey University's School of Management and Director of the University's Māori Business & Leadership Centre (Te Au Rangahau).

Ajit Balasingham

Elected Board Member

Board Member since 2021

Chair - Rugby Committee

Risk, Investment and Audit Committee

Ajit is a business advisor with more than 20 years of proven commercial success. He was a member of the Northland Rugby Union from 2008-2021 and been an observer on the Board of the Blues Super Rugby club and served as interim CEO. Ajit is a Fellow of the Chartered Accountants of Australia and New Zealand, and member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants with industry accounting experience stretching back more than 30 years.

Rowena Davenport

Nominated Board Member

Board Member since 2022

Chair - People, Safety and Capability Committee

Risk, Investment and Audit Committee

Rowena is an experienced commercial leader having worked in the finance and professional services sectors and in various governance roles. Her governance career began a decade ago when she joined the Board of the Otago Rugby Football Union, then stepping into the role of Chair in 2019 - the first female Chair of a major Provincial Rugby Union in New Zealand. Since 2022, Rowena has been on the Board of New Zealand Rugby and the New Zealand Rugby Foundation. In recognition of her contribution to rugby governance, on International Women's Day 2022, she was one of 12 women from across the globe awarded a World Rugby Executive Leadership Scholarship.

Mark Hutton

Appointed Board Member

Board Member since 2021

Chair - Risk, Investment and Audit Committee

Mark has 25 years of international finance and private equity investment experience including being a founding Director of Evergreen Partners and Direct Capital. A Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors, Mark also holds a governance role with agri-business company Scales Corporation. His passion for rugby includes two three-year stints on the Board of College Rifles Rugby Football Club in Auckland and he was on NZR's Appointments and Remuneration Committee in 2011.

Stu Mather

Elected Board Member

Board Member since 2023

People, Safety and Capability Committee

Rugby Committee

Auckland Rugby Chair Stu Mather is a former first-class player and long-term rugby administrator who has a passion for rugby and its development at all levels. After several years on the field, Stu quickly transitioned his passion for the game from playing into coaching, managing and administration, being involved across multiple levels. Joining the Auckland University Rugby Football Club committee in 1985 at the age of 20, Senior Delegate (2004 – 2018), New Zealand Universities Rugby Council 2001-2014, and has coached all the senior grades in Auckland, including women's and U85s. He was also a liaison officer for NPC, Super Rugby teams, U20s RWC, as well as the All Blacks for over 13 years. Stu has been the Chair of Auckland Rugby Union since 2018 and a Blues Super Rugby Club director since 2020 and brings a wealth of rugby experience both at an amateur and professional levels to the NZR Board. Stu is a member of the Institute of Directors and the financial controller for a large aggregates and cleanfill tipping company based in Auckland.

Catherine Savage

Appointed Board Member

Board Member since 2023

Risk, Investment and Audit Committee

Catherine has been involved in fund management and private equity for more than 30 years. After joining AMP Capital Investors in 1994, she became Managing Director 2000-2007, responsible for more than NZ$13 billion under management. Since 2007, she has led a range of private equity roles and is the Managing Director of Savage Group Limited. Previous governance roles include directorships with Infratil Limited, Kiwibank Limited, The Todd Family Office Limited; Pathfinder Asset Management Limited and Ruapehu Alpine Lifts Limited, The New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants, AMP Office Trust and AMP Property Trust. After joining the Board of the New Zealand Superannuation Fund in 2009 Catherine became the Deputy Chair in 2012 and Chair from 2016 to 2021, overseeing the crown entity’s global portfolio of investments which totalled more than NZ $57 billion. She has been Chair of the Board of Trustees of the National Provident Fund and Chair of the Samuel Marsden Collegiate School Management Board. She is committed to growing Board diversity and is co-Chair of New Zealand Chapter for Women Corporate Directors and also holds governance roles as an independent director of Beca Group Limited, a member of the Advisory Board of Delphos International and Trustee of The Stewart Family Trust. She is on the Board of the Pacific Pension and Investment Institute in the United States. Married with three children and passionate about rugby, Catherine is based in Wellington.

Wayne Young

Elected Board Member

Board Member since 2022

Rugby Committee

Wayne brings decades of experience in provincial rugby, most recently as Chair of Tasman Rugby Union. Wayne has played for and coached rugby in Marlborough for over thirty years. He was previously part-owner of Motorworld, and holds current director roles with Riverview Forestry, Morris Young Holdings, SG Wholesale LTD Stanley Gibson LTD and Pelorus Views. In 2021 Wayne implemented a youth council for Tasman Rugby, to ensure representation across the entire game.

President and Vice President

NZR has two Officers: The President and Vice President, who represent NZR and New Zealand at important functions and events, locally and globally. The President and Vice President (along with the Chief Executive Officer) attend New Zealand Rugby Board Meetings, although they are not considered Board Members and may not vote on Board matters.

These positions are elected for two year terms. In 2024, Matthew Cooper became President while Erin Rush was elected Vice President.

Matthew Cooper

President

Matthew has been Chief Executive of Sport Waikato since 2001, where he has led the organisation’s key strategic projects focused on increasing participation in play, active recreation and sport. He is a current Trustee with the Halberg Foundation and also a graduate of the University of Waikato. A former All Black, he played 26 matches between 1987 and 1996. He is probably best known for holding the record for highest points scorer for the Waikato Rugby Union. He also played 63 games for Hawkes Bay from 1985 to 1989.

Erin Rush

Vice President

A former player, Erin Rush represented Wellington FC and was a long-standing captain of the Wellington Pride before making her Black Ferns debut in 2003. Rush has two Test caps to her name but continued to contribute to rugby after her playing days, she was appointed the first female president of Centurions Rugby Club and was the first female Citing Commissioner for New Zealand Rugby. Outside of rugby, Rush is a leading Real estate agent for Harcourts, the top salesperson in Wellington City since 2016. 

Our Patron

The New Zealand Rugby Patron fills an honorary role as the figurehead for the organisation. Throughout the 20th Century the Governor General traditionally held the role of Patron.

Former All Blacks Captain Sir Brian Lochore was Patron until his passing in August 2019, and Ian Kirkpatrick, was elected as his successor at the NZR Annual General Meeting in 2020. Kirkpatrick was an All Black (# 666) from 1967 to 1977, playing in 38 Test Matches, including nine as Captain between 1972 and 1974. He was made a Member of the British Empire for services to rugby in 1980 and inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2003. He is also Patron of his local rugby club in Poverty Bay and remains an active supporter of club and representative rugby.