SecondarySchoolRugbyAdvisoryGroup

New Secondary Schools Strategic Advisory Group Formed

New Zealand Rugby (NZR) is excited to announce that a new Strategic Advisory Group, made up of school and Provincial Union leaders, has been formed to work on developing and implementing a new Secondary Schools Rugby Plan.

 The group is made up of nine members, chaired by Nic Hill, Headmaster of Christchurch Boys’ High School and will work alongside NZR to develop and execute a secondary school engagement strategy, focusing on retaining teenage participants throughout their school years and beyond.

NZR General Manager of Community Rugby, Steve Lancaster, said counsel from this group will give a voice to students and schools, and provide essential knowledge that will be of benefit in the decision-making process.

Steve said, "The calibre of the applications received made it a difficult job for our independent appointments panel to select this final group.

The nine members, who represent rugby and secondary schools in New Zealand, will provide advice to NZR on how to retain our rangitahi and bridge the gap between secondary schools and club rugby.

"We are excited to have this group in place, as we have a number of challenges to address and the key to success will be in building strong relationships with our secondary schools; ensuring their voice and that of their students is in the front of minds in the decisions we make."

Advisory group Chair, Nic Hill, is enthusiastic about leading a group of passionate individuals and believes that forming this group is a step in the right direction.

"I’m excited about the opportunity to work alongside this group and NZR to build a plan that will ultimately focus on opportunities for more students to develop positively through their involvement in rugby – whatever their motivations may be."

The Advisory Group has started meeting and will look to engage a wide variety of stakeholders as it formulates the plan over the next 12 months.

The members are: 

James Bentley (Headmaster, St Peters College)
Sharleen Nathan (Deputy Principal, Hamilton Girls High School) Co-opt
Nic Hill (Headmaster, Christchurch Boys’ High School)
Nick Reid, (Deputy Principal, Awatapu College) 
Rowena Davenport (Chair, Otago Rugby)
Dave Gibson (CEO, North Harbour Rugby)
Jay Campbell (CEO, Hawkes Bay Rugby Union)
Garry Carnachan (CEO, School Sport NZ)
Garry Chronican (Chair, New Zealand Schools Rugby Union Inc.)