New Zealand Rugby Board Appointments

Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About these Roles

Sheffield Search is assisting the New Zealand Rugby (NZR) Appointments and Remuneration Panel to recruit three Independent Board Members for the NZ Rugby Board. 

Under the NZR Constitution, three of the nine Board members retire annually by rotation and are eligible for reappointment. The retiring members are expected to reapply.

NZR invites applications from suitably qualified governance professionals who can demonstrate independent thinking and action.

Requirements for this appointment round:

In order for the Board to continue to meet the requirements of the NZR constitution, and noting the attributes of the retiring members:

• At least one appointee must whakapapa Māori with knowledge, understanding and lived experience of te ao Māori in a complex organisational context
• At least one appointee must have served on a New Zealand Provincial Rugby Union board or held an executive management position within a Provincial Union
• The Board must maintain gender diversity of at least 40% female to meet its targets.

Ngā pūmanawatanga ōu | Key Skills and Experience

Priority skills and experience include:

• Understanding of contemporary professional sport (including an understanding of what is needed to succeed in a high-performance rugby environment)
• Understanding of community sport
• Wide involvement in broadcast, media, digital and marketing (entertainment and fans) including insights into opportunities with leveraging content, technology and social media.
• Proven commercial acumen with experience contributing to the creation and building of commercial value
• Working knowledge of organisations of similar complexity including JV partners and a deep understanding of capital markets.

Mō mātou | About New Zealand Rugby

New Zealand Rugby leads, grows, supports and promotes New Zealand's game. As kaitiaki of rugby, NZR represents New Zealand internationally, oversees all Teams in Black, and partners with 26 Provincial Unions to strengthen rugby at all levels.

Te Ara Ranga Tira (The Rugby Way) guides the organisation through Te Pou Maioha (Being welcoming), Te Pou Hiranga (Being our best), Te Pou Ihiihi (Evoking passion) and Te Pou Tika (Inspiring fair play). NZR is future-focused whilst respecting its heritage.

To Apply

To apply in strict confidence now, please apply through the Sheffield website (here) or email your cover letter and CV in a PDF format wherever possible to cvakl@sheffield.co.nz quoting 9003NIsk. Applications close on 11 February 2026. Emails will be electronically acknowledged and further correspondence may be by email.

To view the Candidate Briefing document, please click here.

For more information please phone Raewyn Brown on +64 21 917 203 or Ian Taylor on +64 27 487 7424.

To be considered for this position you must be legally entitled to work in Aotearoa New Zealand and obtain a clear MOJ check.