New Zealand Rugby’s (NZR) voting members have ratified Taranaki’s Marise James to take up the final position on the NZR Board. 

The NZR Appointments and Remuneration Committee (ARP) put James forward for ratification at the beginning of March. Ratification required majority approval from NZR’s voting members, consisting of the 26 Provincial Unions and the NZ Māori Rugby Board. The ratification postal ballot closed at 5pm on Wednesday 12 March. 

James has extensive governance experience within and beyond rugby. A Chartered Accountant, she served eight years as a director of Taranaki Rugby Union where she chaired the Audit and Risk Committee. She has held governance roles of accountancy firm, Baker Tilly Staples Rodway Taranaki, Allied Farmers, TSB Bank and Fonterra, as well as other roles in the finance, insurance and primary industries. 

NZR Chair David Kirk said: “We are very pleased with Marise’s ratification. Her financial nous and deep understanding of provincial rugby will be a great complement to existing skillsets and expertise on the Board. Her appointment completes the Board, and I am looking forward to us working together in the best interests of the game.”

James said:  “I’m pretty excited about this new role. There are a lot of challenges ahead for NZR but the new Board looks like a very experienced group of governors and I am looking forward to working with them all to overcome these and ensure that rugby once again becomes the game we are all proud to be involved with.” 

James joins the eight members of the Board which took effect from 1 February: 

• David Kirk MBE (Chair)
• Caren Rangi ONZM
• Catherine Savage
• Doug Jones
• Grant Jarrold
• Greg Barclay
• Julia Raue
• Keven Mealamu MNZM

James’ appointment takes immediate effect, and she will join the upcoming NZR Board meeting at the end of March.

Marise James bio

Marise is a professional director with extensive governance experience across a range of industries, including finance, insurance, and primary industries. 

Marise currently serves on the Boards of Southern Cross Pet Insurance Limited (Chair) and Midlands Funds Management Limited. She has previously served on the Boards of Farmers Mutual Group, Farmers Mutual Finance Limited, New Zealand Farmers Livestock Limited, Firstlight Wagyu NZ Limited, Taranaki Health Foundation, Pengxin NZ Farm Management Limited, NZ Institute of Highway Technology, TSB Bank, TSB Community Trust, Landcorp Farming Limited, Fonterra Cooperative Group Limited, and Dexcel Limited (now Dairy NZ). In those roles Marise has often chaired the Audit and Risk or equivalent committees. 

Marise is a chartered accountant by profession and for 17 years was a director of Baker Tilly Staples Rodway Taranaki. Earlier Marise and her husband were dairy farmers, beginning as farm hands in 1985, progressing to sharemilking (and winning New Zealand sharemilker of the year in 1994) before purchasing a dairy farm in 1995 and operating it until selling up in 2008. 

Marise is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Directors. 

Marise has served for 8 years (from 2016 to 2024) on the Taranaki Rugby Board, and was chair of the Union’s audit and risk during the tumultuous period when closure of Stadium Taranaki was followed closely by the COVID period. 

Marise’s governance approach is shaped by her background in industries aligned with the primary sector, which has taught her the importance of good leadership, a clearly articulated Statement of Purpose and a values-based approach to the achievement of goals. 

Marise is based in New Plymouth, and is able to contribute a provincial / rural perspective to the Board.

Article added: Monday 17 March 2025