Mark Robinson: Outgoing New Zealand Rugby CEO on his resignation

Outgoing New Zealand Rugby boss Mark Robinson believes he's leaving the game in a better place than he found it. 

He's confirmed he will leave the job at the end of the year, bringing to an end a six-year tenure that started just before the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Robinson says he's proud of what's been achieved during a turbulent period. 

He told Mike Hosking that the next six months are critical for their role both domestically and internationally, with both their involvement in the establishment of international calendars and competitions as well as the opportunity they have to reset the financial model for the New Zealand game.  

Robinson likes to think those would both be signed off by the end of the year, and that in conjunction with his family moving over to Australia, makes him feel it’s time to move on. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now the resignation from New Zider Rugby of CEO Marc
Robinson I got made public yesterday. Of course he'll see
out the year then he's off to Australia. So the
six Robinson years, what did we get? Mike Robinson is
with us. Very good morning to you.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Boding Mike.

Speaker 1 (00:13):
Was there a moment or has it sort of been
building to this?

Speaker 2 (00:18):
I think, as I said yesterday, with the family being
based in Australia now for the last few months, probably
in the last one or two months, certainly turned my
mind to thinking about dealing with them more. And then
that combined with when I look ahead at the role,
these next six months are really critical for the role

(00:39):
on the international stage and domestically, we have the opportunity
to reset our financial model here in New Zealand we've
talked a lot about over the last few years, and
then we're heavily involved in the establishment of the international
calendars and competition. So I'd love to think that by
the end of the year those two thinks that signed off,
and I just feel that the culmination of those things,

(01:00):
two things together might means it's time to move.

Speaker 1 (01:03):
Yeah, how did your family end up in Australia. I
don't want to get to a person. I'm just interested,
that's all, because it's been a thing. It's been a
theme in this country, hasn't it. People moving offshore?

Speaker 2 (01:12):
It does seem to be. Yeah, well look, you know,
my eldest went off to university there not long ago,
and then my second ended up. Then then our youngest
and my wife have ended up there. I don't want
to get into too much details, so so essentially, yeah,
it's a combination really of education and opportunities and lifestyle.

(01:36):
I suppose as it relates to my kids and wife
and seeing them. You know, I'm only seeing them every
four to five weeks at the moment. That's suboptimal in
terms of, you know, how we want to live our
family life. So you know, I'm looking forward to being
with them full time from sort of January Februy onwards.

Speaker 1 (01:52):
Have you got a plan?

Speaker 2 (01:56):
No, Look, I'm really I really focused on what the
next six months has for us, and it's an incredible
opportunity for the game here and internationally. I dare say,
you know, when the time gets closer to the end
of the year, I might open my mind a bit
more to it. Yeah, they sent me in the last
twenty four hours. Been overwhelmed by the messages that have

(02:18):
come in, you know, internationally and from different parts of
the world, and you know that some of those may
lead to things or not, but the I'm not too
worried about that.

Speaker 1 (02:25):
That's nice. So we've talked twice, I figured in the
last month. Once was on sponsorship and once was on
you guys losing money. What's that tell us about our
time under you?

Speaker 2 (02:40):
I think a desire to acknowledge that the game needed
change and to work really hard towards implementing that change.
And the change was centered largely on the game modernizing
and being more focused on the fans, more focused on
participants as relates to community, and trying to rapidly adapt

(03:04):
the sport while keeping one foot I guess in the
legacy and history of the game and the things that
we all love about our sport that have made it
so special here, but acknowledging we simply have to evolve
as a modern sporting organization and code for that matter.
And look, some of that stuff's gone, you know really well, Mike,
and I'm tread to be proud about it. Some of

(03:25):
it certainly had challenges in terms of working through those
processes because we were looking to change so rapidly. And
I think the other thing I'd probably add to that
was the COVID time I affected yesterday with people. I'm
just so incredibly proud as I look back and think
about how we got through that as probably one of
the most lockdown countries in the world where sport and

(03:46):
entertainment was affected massively, and we've come through that with
really impressive revenue growth. We've invested in all levels of
the game. We've led the world in a number of
different areas as it relates to player welfare and brain
and concussion research. We've led conversations on international calendars, and
we've seen, you know, right through to the community game.

(04:08):
We've started to see the progress of participation numbers coming
right up, and we've led there as well as it
relates to four match trials the need to really be
progressive in that space too. So, you know, all of
those things I'm incredibly proud of, and you know, I
just want to make sure I stay focused on this
next six months because hopefully I can look back then

(04:28):
with a couple of other big projects ticked off.

Speaker 1 (04:30):
There's two ways of looking at the COVID period. One,
you dealt with what you were, you know, handed, and
you handled it. You would argue, well, the other way
to look at it, did it have to be as
restrictive as it was and therefore were you hobbled more
than you needed to be?

Speaker 2 (04:47):
You mean by the restrictions that were put in place. Yeah,
well that's you know, I think there were a debate
about that for a long long time. We certainly worked
with the government as much as we could through that
time to get you know, as much rugby played and
as much movement of our people into environments where they
could play. And you know, it's well documented to are

(05:09):
reasons why that didn't happen sometimes, but I think we
worked the best we possibly could with the hand we
were dealt.

Speaker 1 (05:16):
The Kirk comments the other day about participation being the
really big issue for your sport as you right, is.

Speaker 2 (05:25):
Look at a foundational level in terms of the future
of the game. You know, the more people you've got
coming in the base of the game and the pipeline
at the bottom, the more people you've got engaged in
the sport as potential future athletes and fans of the game.
So yes, it's an absolutely critical level. The more the
more people we have actively thinking about the game and

(05:45):
connected to the better. So it's certainly a key plank
of our strategy. When we look at our strategy is
really three key parts. One is the area that David
talked about in terms of the base of the pyramid
of the game too, is winning on the inter national stage.
It drives so much value. In Three is how we
with fantastically in overseas because that drives the value and

(06:06):
the revenue growth that we're starting to see at the moment.

Speaker 1 (06:09):
I've got Crusaders Chiefs in the final, with the Crusaders
to win, that about right.

Speaker 2 (06:16):
You would? I mean, I don't like to show my
briss too often, and these settings might but I look,
I think it could go either way, and I'll sit
on the fence again on this one. But I you know,
I wouldn't be surprised to see any number of finals
mession as It's been an awesome competition, hasn't it. And
I think that's another thing where we're proud of we've led,
you know, the change of the product, you know, internationally,
and we're starting to see that in the last couple

(06:37):
of years of super specially this year, and we're really
proud of what the entertainment fact of the sport looks
like at the moment.

Speaker 1 (06:42):
Good stuff, all right, we'll go well and we'll talk
before you leave, I'm sure. Mark Robinson, the outgoing New
Zealand Rugby CEO.

Speaker 2 (06:48):
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