First and foremost Taranaki Rugby is doing everything we can to ensure the wellbeing and safety of our people and communities to help contain the spread the COVID-19.

We are also reviewing our business to ensure that when we get through the issues we currently face and Taranaki Rugby is able to survive. These are very difficult times, and hard decisions will have to be made.

From a TRFU governance perspective we want to update you on matters relating to our postponed Annual General Meeting which was scheduled to have taken place on Wednesday 25 March 2020. This was postponed on Monday 23 March in light of COVID-19.

However we decided to conduct the elections for the positions which required clubs to vote. This voting was done by email with clubs required to send their voting papers to independent Life Member scrutineers, Peter Crawford and Ray Barron.

The results of those elections were as follows:

Vice-President: Cherry Blyde (nominated by Clifton) was elected, defeating Ian Snook (nominated by Stratford-Eltham).

Elected Board Member: John Dazley (nominated by Stratford-Eltham) was elected, defeating Lindsay Thomson (nominated by Tukapa)

In the case of the Appointed Board Member, the Appointment Panel advised that Dan Radcliffe was appointed to replace the retiring John Kelly.

It has now been pointed out that to implement these changes they need to be ratified at an appropriately constituted Annual General Meeting.  Given that holding an AGM in person is some time away the existing TRFU Board has agreed to co-opt the new Vice President Cherry Blyde , Elected Director John Dazley and Appointed Director Dan Radcliffe to the TRFU Board until the AGM can be held. The board have resolved that Lindsay Thomson continue as board chair up to that AGM.

These are unprecedented times that we live and work in, and rugby is not excluded.  The fluid situation we find with Covid-19 and  NZ Rugby impacts our daily decision making within the TRFU. 

Please look after yourself and families during these times.  Keep safe.

Yours in rugby

Andrew Thompson (Deputy Chair)

Laurence Corlett (CEO)

Article added Friday 27 March 2020