Final member of New Zealand Rugby Board ratified

March 17, 2025
158
Ultimate Rugby

New Zealand Rugby’s (NZR) voting members have ratified Marise James to take up the final position on the NZR Board.

The NZR Appointments and Remuneration Committee (ARP) put James forward for ratification at the beginning of March. Ratification required majority approval from NZR’s voting members, consisting of the 26 Provincial Unions and the NZ Māori Rugby Board. The ratification postal ballot closed at 5pm on Wednesday 12 March.

James has extensive governance experience within and beyond rugby. A Chartered Accountant, she served eight years as a director of Taranaki Rugby Union where she chaired the Audit and Risk Committee. She has held governance roles of accountancy firm Staples Rodway, Allied Farmers, TSB Bank and Fonterra, as well as other roles in the finance, insurance and primary industries.

NZR Chair David Kirk said:
“We are very pleased with Marise’s ratification. Her financial nous and deep understanding of provincial rugby will be a great complement to existing skillsets and expertise on the Board. Her appointment completes the Board, and I am looking forward to us working together in the best interests of the game.”

James said:
“I’m pretty excited about this new role. There are a lot of challenges ahead for NZR but the new Board looks like a very experienced group of governors and I am looking forward to working with them all to overcome these and ensure that rugby once again becomes the game we are all proud to be involved with.”

James joins the eight members of the Board which took effect from 1 February: