2017 Oceania Rugby Annual General Meeting

The 2017 Oceania Rugby Annual General Meeting gathering was hosted by the Tonga Rugby Union in Nuku’alofa TONGA on 29 May – 1 June.

Richard Sapias, Oceania Rugby President, opened the meeting by welcoming the 38 delegates which included Hon. Titilupe Fanetupouvava’u Tuita Tu’ivakano, Patron of the Tonga Women’s Rugby Association, and Hon. Prime Minister Akilisi Pohiva, President of the Tonga Rugby Union, who addressed the meeting, welcoming the delegates to the Kingdom of Tonga and urged the representatives of the region to use the week’s events to find ways to better the game of rugby for the Oceania Region.

The formal proceedings of the Annual General Meeting saw incumbent Oceania Rugby Treasurer Andrew Larratt (ARU), who had been filling a casual vacancy on the Executive Committee, ratified by the membership to remain on the Executive Committee for the remainder of the 4-year term (the term ends at the conclusion of the 2019 Annual General Meeting). Oceania Rugby President Richard Sapias when speaking of the ratification said, ‘this is a clear demonstration of the value the Members of Oceania Rugby see in having the Tier 1 High Performance Unions on the Executive Committee’.

In addition to the Annual General Meeting delegates attended workshops across the conference as a part of the World Rugby Leading Rugby program which included:

• Olympic Solidarity and World Rugby funding models
• Player Welfare and Player Development
• Women’s Rugby
• Governance and;
• Constitutional improvements for Oceania Rugby.

Bruce Cook, World Rugby’s Rugby Service Manager Oceania said ‘the landscape of rugby in the Oceania Region is growing and changing constantly which brings fantastic opportunities and challenges for Oceania Rugby and the Member Unions. There was robust discussion and shared ideas throughout the week on a number of areas which will shape the immediate future and longer-term strategy of Oceania Rugby.’