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Source: Photosport
New Zealand's amateur club and provincial rugby competitions remain the envy of the world and key to ensuring the long-term stability of the professional levels of the game, according to new Wellington Hurricanes chief executive James Te Puni.
Te Puni, a former Tawa club player in Wellington whose playing days were cut short by a developing career in the retail sector, started his new job earlier this week and said while the All Blacks and Super rugby franchises were the shop window of the sport, the amateur game was just as important to its future.
"We have got a fantastic club and provincial structure, which is the envy of most around the world but we have to make sure that we recognise that, we treasure it, care for it and support it because the reality is it's at the heart of the opportunities that open up in the professional space," Te Puni told Reuters in an interview in his Wellington office.
"Yes it has been under pressure for some time but ... it connects with communities ... and the reality is it's an important foundation -- its a huge advantage for New Zealand."
The 48-year-old Te Puni, wearing a dark suit but no tie -- his three Wellington Rugby Union ties are sitting on top of a filing cabinet and he "better get used to wearing these" -- was approached to succeed Greg Peters after spending four years in a senior marketing and commercial role at New Zealand Post.
Prior to that he spent eight years at New Zealand's national museum Te Papa Tongarewa as the general manager for Maori strategy and also held an executive management role for a national retailer for six years.
Te Puni said his broad commercial experience -- in which he was exposed to fields as varied as marketing and currency exchange -- should benefit him in the new role to "throw up some new ideas and opportunities", while his passion for the amateur level of the game was also beneficial.
"In terms of the commercial aspect (of the Wellington role) I think one of the advantages I have is that the commercial experiences I have had are outside of rugby," he said.
"But I have a heart in rugby, particularly club, Maori and representative rugby -- the amateur side."
BELOW PAR
It was that "amateur side" with their links throughout the Hurricanes region that would be crucial to turning the team into one that had sustained success on the field and on the commercial front, he said.
The Hurricanes have flattered to deceive in recent years -- either just missing the playoffs or making them without securing the title, which has seen a reduction in season ticket holders and dwindling crowds in their main base in Wellington.
"Professional sport relies on passionate supporters who express their passion in a whole bunch of different ways, including attending the team's games," he added.
"A big part of that is how the team performs and if they believe the team has got a good chance of winning and that's based on building a winning culture and building the values as to what we stand for as a franchise."
The Hurricanes have also been criticised for allowing several high profile players to leave the region and find success elsewhere, but Te Puni said the organisation had a "pretty good" player development system and would continue to tap into the provinces that feed into the Hurricanes.
"We have got the strength in terms of player pathways to underpin a successful winning Hurricanes franchise in the future," he said.
"But what we need is a situation where the culture, performance and ethos of the Hurricanes ... is built so that more players aspire to play for the Hurricanes.
"The dominant driver of those playing stocks will be coming from East Coast, Hawke's Bay, Wanganui, Taranaki and the other provincial areas in the franchise.
"They're strong, they've got a proud heritage of producing All Blacks and Super rugby players and that's one of our strengths.
"The fans (then) have the ability to identify with the people in the team and the characteristics they demonstrate on the field week in and week out, that pride in the team.
"That's what we want. That's the aspiration."
