New Zealand Rugby appoints first female chairperson

New Zealand Rugby (NZR) has announced that former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy is to become its first-ever female Chair as of 2023.

Elected by the NZR Board to succeed Stewart Mitchell, who will step down on 31st January after just two years in the role Dame Patsy, will be supported by Farah Palmer and Bailey Mackey as Deputy Chairs, a role Palmer already held.

Dame Patsy, who joined the NZR Board in April, enjoyed a long legal and business career before being the Crown's representative in New Zealand for five years from 2016 to 2021.

Accepting her new role she advised “it is an absolute honour to be elected to the position of chair at such a pivotal and exciting moment for rugby in Aotearoa.

"I would like to thank Stewart for his long service to the Board and his leadership over the past two years as chair.

"He has left rugby in a strong position to grasp the opportunities in front of us and with a diverse and skilled Board I could not be more excited about the challenges ahead."

Mitchell's tenure as chair, which began in May 2021, has included Silver Lake, a private equity firm, buying a minority stake in NZR for $200 million .

It has also been defined by the COVID-19 crisis, which hit rugby in the country hard and contributed to the break-up of club competition Super Rugby.

NZR and Rugby Australia last week announced a new agreement for Super Rugby Pacific, a new version which has dropped South African, Japanese and Argentinian teams, to continue until 2030.

NZR also hosted the women's 15-a-side Rugby World Cup - which the host nation won - this year, following a year-long delay brought about by the global health crisis.

New Zealand won the women's rugby sevens gold medal at last year's delayed Olympics and came second in the men's tournament.

NZR Deputy Chair Palmer is now a professor, following a glittering playing career which included captaining New Zealand at three Rugby World Cups.

Palmer was inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2014 and has served on the New Zealand Māori Rugby Board since 2007.

Mackey has a background in broadcast production and joined the NZR Board in 2020.

Image: Dame Patsy Reddy, who served as the 21st Governor-General of New Zealand.