WRFU announce surplus at historic AGM

The Wellington Rugby Football Union has announced a $191,000 surplus for 2016 during an historic Annual General Meeting at the Avalon Rugby Football Club.

WRFU's financial result represents a major turnaround after the union lost $1.6 million during a difficult 2015, but was not the only thing the rugby community was celebrating on Wednesday night.

Porirua Deputy Mayor and former Black Fern Izzy Ford has become the first woman board member since former Wellington Mayor Fran Wilde in the mid 1990s.

Ford, who became Porirua's Deputy Mayor in November last year, is a long-time member of the Northern United Rugby Club and was a Black Ferns representative from 1999 to 2005.

In addition to Ford's appointment to the board, long-time secondary schools rugby administrator Ina Hansen has become the first female to hold a place on the WRFU's presidential suite.

Hansen served on the WRFU management committee for over a decade through the 1980s leading the Wellington Secondary Schools program.

She joins highly accomplished Poneke Football Club administrator Robin Dodd as a junior vice president, while Brendon Gard'ner rotates into the role of WRFU president for Murray Tocker.

Gard'ner is a former Wellington representative having played over 70 games for the province, and also a former President of the Centurions club.

The appointments of Ford and Hansen come in the wake of Dame Margaret Bazley's review of Wellington Rugby's review of WRFU's processes and procedures around player conduct and management.

"We are firmly committed to the recommendations made in the Bazley report and to ensuring our game involves the skills and knowledge of the women involved in our sport," WRFU chairman Iain Potter said. "We are fortunate to have people of the calibre of Izzy and Ina involved in the game."

Wellington Rugby's 2016 financial result represents its biggest surplus since 2006.

It comes on the back of increased revenue driven by a change in New Zealand Rugby's provincial union funding model, two successful test matches at Westpac Stadium, and the Hurricanes hosting three Super Rugby playoff matches.

Potter said the result was pleasing, but not cause for complacency.

"We had two fantastic test matches in Wellington and increased funding from the national body, while the Hurricanes had a magical year in winning the club's inaugural Super Rugby title.

"However, we must be realistic that the stars will not always align. A key focus of the board is to continue to target new revenue streams and to create a sustainable business model going into the future."

On the playing front, the growing popularity of women's rugby has driven a five percent increase in playing numbers across the region.

"While the representative program did not reach Wellington's expectations, our province continues to produce some of the country's top talent in the men's and women's games," Potter said.

Wellington Rugby produced four All Blacks, eight New Zealand U20s, two Maori All Blacks, one Black Fern, two New Zealand Secondary Schools, two All Blacks sevens, and 17 Super Rugby players in 2016.