Does your Provincial Union or Super Rugby Club have a vacancy? Please email jobs@nzrugby.co.nz to list it below
Role Purpose
The Community Rugby Manager – Coaching, Teenage & Senior Rugby Lead is responsible for driving participation, capability, and quality experiences across community rugby in the region. This role leads the delivery of national coaching, refereeing, teenage and senior rugby development programmes, ensuring alignment with NZR frameworks and local needs. The position plays a critical part in strengthening club health, volunteer capability, and the long‑term sustainability of rugby across the West Coast.
Key Responsibilities
1. Coaching Development & Capability
· Coordinate and deliver coaching workshops, practical sessions, and on‑the‑ground support tailored to local club and school needs.
· Ensure all RugbySmart trainers are fully accredited and compliant with national standards.
· Achieve 100% compliance for registered teams having at least one RugbySmart or Small Blacks accredited coach.
· Provide structured development pathways for aspirational coaches, supporting qualification attainment and ongoing learning.
· Lead targeted initiatives to grow, develop, and retain female coaches, including over‑indexed investment where required.
· Deliver national coaching resources, programmes, and capability tools across clubs and schools.
2. Teenage & Senior Rugby Development
· Deliver national teenage rugby development resources and programmes.
· Support grades and competitions aligned with national plans, including DSLVs such as the Small Blacks Development Model.
· Deliver Tackle Clinics (Year 3) and Scrum Factory (Year 7) annually, ensuring access for new players.
· Partner with secondary schools to maximise teenage player participation and retention.
· Support transition pathways from junior to secondary school, and secondary school to senior club rugby.
· Validate identity of all coaches, managers, and referees for Police Vetting.
3. Child & Player Safety
· Appoint and support a Safe Kids Advisor (SKA), ensuring attendance at national workshops and delivery of local Safe Kids training.
· Ensure 100% of junior teams have at least one coach/manager who has completed Safeguarding 101.
· Maintain and review child safeguarding policies every three years.
· Ensure safeguarding information is accessible online and embedded in club education.
4. Competition Support & Game Promotion
· Support delivery of the national game promotion plan with aligned messaging and shared themes.
· Activate national and local recruitment, development, and awareness campaigns.
· Dedicate resources to content creation, storytelling, and promotion of community rugby.
· Ensure balanced and equitable promotion of women’s and girls’ rugby.
· Generate authentic stories from clubs, competitions, and communities to elevate positive perceptions of the game.
6. Club Health & Capability
· Work with NZR to implement national club health and capability initiatives informed by the Future of Clubs Review.
· Embed key messages from NZR’s Top Five Club Health Tips and Women in Clubs Toolkit into local education plans.
· Support club participation in the Sport NZ Voice of the Participant Survey.
· Provide guidance to strengthen governance, volunteer attraction, administration systems, and inclusive environments.
· Share good practice examples and club success stories to support national storytelling.
· Support clubs to become welcoming, inclusive, and effective learning spaces for players, coaches, and referees.
7. Administration, Compliance & Rugby Systems Management
· Lead and maintain high‑quality administration across all community rugby programmes, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and alignment with NZR requirements.
· Manage and optimise use of rugby systems including Rugby Xplorer (RX), LMS, vetting portals, referee appointment systems, and competition management tools.
· Ensure all coach, referee, manager, and volunteer registrations are completed correctly and validated within RX.
· Support clubs and schools with troubleshooting, permissions, duplicate accounts, verification issues, and system navigation.
· Maintain accurate records for accreditation, safeguarding, workshops, clinics, and development programmes.
· Produce timely reports, participation data, development tracking, and compliance summaries for WCRU, NZR, and local stakeholders.
8. Hands‑On Community Support – Coaches, Managers & Referees
· Provide practical, on‑the‑ground support to coaches, team managers, referees, and club volunteers by actively assisting with training delivery, accreditation processes, rugby systems, game‑day operations, and problem‑solving.
· Work directly alongside volunteers helping run sessions, supporting accreditation, guiding them through RX and LMS tasks, assisting with match‑day organisation, and providing real-time solutions.
· Be visible and present across clubs and schools, offering practical help rather than just advice, ensuring volunteers feel supported, valued, and confident in their roles.
· Strengthen community capability by “rolling up your sleeves” and helping deliver rugby experiences, not just overseeing them.
Key Relationships
· NZ Rugby (Coach Development, Referee Development, Community Rugby Teams)
· Local Referee Associations
· Secondary Schools and Junior Rugby Providers
· Club Committees, Coaches, Managers, Volunteers
· Regional Sport Organisations and Community Partners
· WCRU Staff, Board, and Operational Leads
Skills & Attributes
· Strong leadership and relationship management skills.
· Hands‑on delivery mindset willing to get involved and support volunteers directly.
· Strong administrative capability and confidence using rugby systems (RX, LMS, vetting portals).
· High organisational capability and attention to compliance.
· Commitment to safe, inclusive, community‑driven rugby environments.
· Ability to inspire volunteers and build sustainable pathways.
Closes November 20th. Any questions or queries please contact Josh on josh@westcoastrugby.co.nz
Location: Nelson / Marlborough (Top of the South)
Sector: Executive Sports Administration / Sports Management
Shape the Future of Rugby Across the Top of the South
Tasman Rugby Union (TRU) is one of New Zealand’s most progressive, successful, and dynamic sporting organisations. Home of the two-time NPC champion Tasman Mako and the Mako FPC, TRU unites a passionate rugby heartland spanning Nelson, Marlborough, and the wider Tasman region.
With elite on-field success firmly established, TRU is embarking on an exciting period of strategic alignment, operational transformation, and infrastructure delivery. The Board of Directors is seeking an experienced, high-calibre Chief Executive Officer to lead the organisation through this pivotal chapter.
The Opportunity
Reporting to the Board Chair, the CEO will hold overall accountability for the strategic vision, commercial sustainability, and community vibrancy of rugby across the union.
This is a comprehensive leadership remit tailored for a seasoned sports administrator capable of balancing professional, high-performance imperatives with the health and vitality of the grassroots game.
Key strategic priorities include:
About You
We are seeking a strategic, commercially astute executive with a proven track record in sports administration, high performance,provincial rugby, or complex multi-stakeholder leadership.
To succeed in this role, you will bring:
Why Tasman?
This role offers a rare executive opportunity to leave a lasting legacy on regional and national rugby. Based in one of New Zealand’s most desirable lifestyle regions—renowned for its sunshine, outdoor recreation, and vibrant communities—you will lead an organisation with a strong brand, passionate supporters, and significant future potential.
To Apply or Enquire
For a confidential discussion or to request the complete Position Description, please contact:
The Board Chair
Ryan Glover
Tasman Rugby Union
Email: ryanglvr@gmail.com
Phone: +64 21 930 604
Applications close: 31 October 2026
Board Director (Independent) | Tasman Rugby Union Inc (TRU)
Location: Nelson / Marlborough (Te Tauihu)
Position Type: Governance / Board Member (Voluntary, reasonable expenses reimbursed)
Closing Date: 5:00 PM, Friday 23 October
About Us
Tasman Rugby Union Incorporated is responsible for the leadership, governance, and custodianship of rugby across Te Tauihu (Nelson, Tasman, and Marlborough). From grassroots clubs, schools, and community development to our premier representative sides—the Tasman Mako in the NPC and Farah Palmer Cup TRU plays a central role in connecting and inspiring our regional communities.
Operating within a dynamic national and regional sports landscape, the TRU Board is focused on delivering a refreshed strategic plan, strengthening commercial revenue, enhancing high-performance pathways, and ensuring sustainable community participation.
The Opportunity
The TRU Board is seeking expressions of interest from suitably qualified governance professionals or senior executives to join as an Independent Director.
The Board is responsible for:
Independent Directors bring objective judgment and strategic insight free from representation of any single club or sub-union, ensuring decisions advance the best interests of the game across the whole of Te Tauihu.
Skills & Expertise Sought
Based on the Board’s Skills and Expertise Framework, applications are particularly welcome from candidates offering strength in one or more of the following areas:
Prior governance experience on commercial or not-for-profit boards is not essential.
Diversity & Inclusion Commitment
Tasman Rugby Union is committed to fostering a modern, inclusive governance culture that reflects the diverse communities of Te Tauihu and the evolving face of rugby across Aotearoa.
To ensure our leadership encompasses a broad spectrum of perspectives, insights, and lived experiences:
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted in confidence and should include:
Submit applications via email to:
Paul Dalzell, Appointments Panel Chair – Tasman Rugby Union
Email: plfdalzell@xtra.co.nz
Phone: + 64 21 420 210
Applications close: 5:00 PM, Friday 23 October