Professor Dame Farah Palmer to retire as New Zealand Māori Rugby Board Chair

After 17 years of service on the New Zealand Māori Rugby Board (NZMRB), Professor Dame Farah Rangikoepa Palmer (Ngāti Maniapoto, Waikato) is set to stand down as Chair.

Dame Farah was recognised at what will be her last NZMRB Annual General Meeting (AGM), as she will retire after three terms on the New Zealand Rugby (NZR) Board which will see her also step down as NZR representative on the NZMRB.

Dame Farah was appointed as an independent member of the NZMRB in 2007 and then, when she was elected as the first female member of the New Zealand Rugby Board in 2016, she became the NZR representative on the NZMRB and replaced Wayne Peters as Chair.

In addressing the AGM on 11th July in Auckland, Dr Palmer highlighted what an honour it had been to lead Māori rugby during a transformative time for the sport in New Zealand.

Dr Palmer shared “the inclusion of independent and appointed members as well as the regional Māori representatives is one of many highlights. Along with, encouraging greater engagement between the two Boards, insisting the Māori Board be involved in strategic discussions, CEO and Chair forums, and part of the Silver Lake and Governance Review process.

“To Māori in rugby, as rangatira and rangatahi, both on and off the field, around boardrooms and on rugby fields, and everything in between – keep striving, stay true to your values, and you will thrive.”

NZMRB Deputy Chair Doug Jones (Rongowhakaata, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Ngāti Kahungunu) added “our Kahurangi, Dame Farah’s contribution to Māori rugby is significant and set a new precedent. She is the epitome of mana wāhine and her leadership, service and diplomacy as the first Māori wāhine (Maori woman) to chair the NZMRB and serve on the NZR Board, recently rising to Deputy Chair of that Board.  Where the presence of a wāhine around the Board table was once unheard of, it is now a new norm thanks in large part to Farah”.

The AGM was a chance to reflect on a strong year, the second year of the Māori Rugby Strategy being in place. The four strategic pou being: Tātakitanga: Uplifting Māori leaders; Puawaitanga: Enhancing Māori through rugby; Hauoratanga: Promoting holistic wellbeing and Angitutanga: Uplifting Māori lives.

There was an overall increase in Māori involved in rugby, with 41,072 players taking the field in 2023.

Dr Palmer noted “All regions have shown growth in wāhine player numbers, with 11 provincial unions showing more than a 20% increase. Poverty Bay in particular showed a 95% increase in wāhine Māori playing rugby which is awesome to see.”

More than 500 Māori participated in Tu Toa Māreikura and Whatukura programmes, led by Tiki Edwards and Kahu Carey. The programme has a focus on turning rangatahi (young people) into rangatira (leading citizens) and uses rugby to teach young people about Māori values and ways of living to cope with the world we live in today.

An increasing number of players from these programmes are progressing to higher honours and in 2023, the programme celebrated its first All Black representative when Tamaiti Williams became All Black #1209.

New Zealand Rugby will appoint its new representative on the NZMRB when the NZR Board is ratified in the coming weeks. Following this, the Māori Rugby Board will have the ability to choose their Chair for the first time, following changes to its constitution approved on 11th July.

The 2023 New Zealand Māori Rugby Board:

• Professor Dame Farah Palmer – Chair

• Rob Clark - Te Hiku o te Ika Chair

• Andre Baker – Te Tini ā Māui Chair

• Dayveen Stephens - Te Waipounamu Chair

• Doug Jones – Appointed Member

• Anne-Marie Jackson – Appointed Member

• Arran Pene – Appointed Member

• Warren Alcock – Independent Member

• Merewaakana Kingi – Independent Member

• Jacob Ellison - Emerging Director