Patron

Andy has had involvement in the Halberg Trust (now a Life Trustee) and is the current President of the New Zealand Rugby Foundation, of which he was an original First Fifteen Member. A former All Black Captain (1974-1976), Andy has the rare distinction of captaining the All Blacks in every test in which he played. He made his Wellington Rugby debut in 1967 and played 147 games for the Wellington Lions, captaining them to a win in the Ranfurly Shield in 1974. A Life Member and former President of the Wellington Rugby Football Union, Andy is a former President and Life Member of the Centurions Rugby Football Club, and former President of the New Zealand Rugby Union.

Andy has been involved with rugby coaching and administration from Club to National level, also writing a report for Irish rugby on the state of it's game and it's way forward in the professional era. He has had a passion about the participation of people in sport and recreation, to these ends has been involved with the Hutt City Council in bringing Clubs together to share facilities (buildings, human resource and costs). Andy believes that the Association can contribute "big time" to the survival of Clubs and the participation of all, of all ages, in activities that they choose to be involved with in their communities.

Vice President

Tirath is the Secretary of the New Zealand Kabaddi Federation Inc. As a member of this organisation, Tirath has demonstrated a deep passion for community sport and has worked tirelessly to promote and develop the sport of Kabaddi in New Zealand. His dedication to the sport and his commitment to promoting amateur sport in general prompted his interest in joining the Association’s Board. Tirath is also President and Secretary of the SBS Sports & Cultural Club.

In addition to his work for sport, Tirath is a successful business owner. He owns several grocery stores and has a portfolio of residential and commercial real estate investments. He also has a keen understanding of the regulatory environment that affects businesses in New Zealand. His knowledge and expertise in compliance and risk management will assist the Board as it navigates the legal and regulatory landscape affecting amateur sport organisations.

Chair

Gordon has extensive commercial, governance and leadership experience in the financial and sporting sectors, including Chief Executive and Directorship roles. Currently Head of Wealth Management Operations at Forsyth Barr Limited, he is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (U.K.) and a member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors.

A retired Premier Rugby Referee, he is a former President of the Wellington Rugby Referees Association Inc., a former Independent Director of Hurricanes Limited (the Super Rugby franchise) and he is a current member of the Centurions Rugby Football Club. Gordon is the current Chairman of the Hurricanes Youth Rugby Council Inc., retired Chairman and Trustee of the Volunteer Service Abroad (VSA) Foundation, current Director of the Wellington Rugby Football Union Inc., and current Chairman and Trustee of the Ogonowska Education Charitable Trust.

Jo has over 20 years experience in senior public relations and communications roles. A former Press Secretary for the former Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister the Rt Hon Don McKinnon, she has also held communications management and marketing roles for a number of major corporates - the New Zealand Tourism Board, The National Bank of New Zealand Limited and AMP.

In 2008, Jo launched Silvereye Communications and has subsequently worked with a wide range of public and private sector clients across diverse industries. Jo was a Wellington City Councillor, Chair of the Economic portfolio for six years, Chairperson of Wellington City Life Education Trust, a Board member of Positively Wellington Tourism and a national Board member of the Life Education Trust.

Warren's experience includes being a Senior Ministerial Writer with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. His background covers experience in leading communications and public relations within Central Government, Parliament, the Speaker of the House, and Local Authorities. Warren was the former adviser and speech-writer for the Mayors of Wellington City and Hutt City, various Government agencies and public health organisations, including the Auckland District Health Board.

Warren has a strong community focus in the Rangiora community (north of Christchurch) where he lives. He is the Association's Canterbury regional representative.

Lisa is the General Manager, Competitions and International Events for New Zealand Football Inc. (NZF), responsible for leading NZF’s National Competitions and International Events portfolio. Lisa is also responsible for working with NZF's stakeholders to develop a long-term plan for the evolution of sustainable national competitions for both football and futsal.

Lisa has a wealth of experience in strategic sports leadership, operations and competition delivery, having held senior executive and governance roles at leading organisations such as Cricket Wellington, Wellington Hockey, and Capital Football, as well as being an A-League Match Commissioner.

Tony is a Life Member of the Marist St. Pat's Rugby Football Club and was CEO of the New Zealand Marist Rugby Federation for 22 years, supporting Marist Clubs in New Zealand, the Pacific, Australia and South America.

He coached the Wellington Sevens team for 11 years, winning Wellington’s first National Sevens Title in 2002. He was a Selector for Sir Gordon Tietjens for 6 years and was then Technical Advisor/Manager of the Samoa Sevens team on the World Sevens Series in 2002 and 2003. From 2000 to 2011 Tony worked as part of the team organising the IRB International Sevens Tournament in Wellington. He has completed a Post Graduate Diploma at Massey University of Sports Management and Coaching and an International Rugby Board Level 4 Coaching Qualification.

Tony was formerly involved in supporting the development rugby union in New Zealand's Catholic schools. He worked as a Professional Tennis Coach for 21 years, attaining the New Zealand Professional Tennis Coaches Qualification in 1977 and the USA Professional Tennis Coaches Qualification in 1979 at the Van der Meer Tennis University in South Carolina.

Karen brings a depth of governance experience across education, arts, and sport, alongside senior executive leadership as Deputy CEO of the Association of Proprietors of Integrated Schools and NZ Catholic Education Office. Her work is grounded in strong governance discipline, clarity of roles, and a focus on long term outcomes for students.

She currently serves as an Independent Director on the Rowing New Zealand Board, chairing the People and Culture Committee, leading recruitment, performance and KPI development processes, reviewing governance, and supporting board effectiveness initiatives along with the recent review and update of the constitution. This experience has strengthened Karen's understanding of sporting organisations’ national mandate, their operating context, and the balance required between high performance outcomes and stewardship of the wider community sport system.