New Zealand Rugby fined for not meeting gender diversity target on board

New Zealand Rugby has been penalised for not meeting Sport New Zealand's requirement for having 40 per cent representation of women on the board, New Zealand Rugby Chairman Stewart Mitchell said on Monday.

NZ Stuff reported that New Zealand Rugby will lose 280,000 New Zealand dollars ($172,060.00) in funding from Sport New Zealand because of the penalty.

The report added that out of 65 major New Zealand sporting organisations, New Zealand Rugby was the only one not to reach the government-mandated 40 per cent women on boards quota by December 2021.

Three out of nine board members of New Zealand Rugby are female.

"The NZ Rugby board acknowledges that we have not met Sport NZ's requirement... and the subsequent financial penalty for non-compliance," Mitchell told a news conference.

"While this funding is valuable to NZ Rugby, it will not impact our current work streams in the professional or community game," he said.

Sport New Zealand Chief Executive Raelene Castle said that while New Zealand Rugby had made progress, the governing body has indicated that there will be consequences for non-compliance such as losing more funding.

"While they have made good progress towards compliance, with three out of nine board members now female, they have advised the likely earliest date they will be compliant with the 40 per cent target, will be at the annual meeting in April 2023," Castle said.

($1 = 1.6273 New Zealand dollars)