New Zealand Rugby League has appointed former Hurricanes boss Greg Peters as their new chief executive.
Greg Peters Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Peters replaces Alex Hayton who left in March.
NZRL is currently going through the findings of a review following the Kiwis disappointing World Cup campaign late last year, where they failed to reach the semi-finals.
Peters spent four years with Wellington Rugby and the Hurricanes before heading to Super Rugby's governing body, SANZAAR, for five years.
Peters' first assignment in charge will be overlooking the Kiwis test trip to Denver in June to play England in a one-off test, which has come under fire again after officials from the NRL, players union and clubs launched a fresh attack on the match.
It was announced in February that England and the Kiwis would play the United States in three mid-season fixtures from 2018-2020, starting in Denver on June 23.
Clubs and players have voiced their concerns over player welfare given the travel in the middle of an NRL season, as well as the need for the test to be held at altitude in Colorado.
Several Kiwis players have already said they will make themselves unavailable for the test.
Peters' experience as a sports administrator spans 20 years and includes five years as the Sydney-based CEO of SANZAR; two years with the Argentinean Rugby Union in the General Manager role; four years as CEO of the Hurricanes and Wellington Rugby; and eight years working for the New Zealand Rugby in various roles.
The Castle review conducted at the conclusion of the Kiwis abysmal World Cup campaign identified "a need for knowledge, expertise, understanding, leadership and capability at the high performance sport level and at the CEO position." Based on these recommendations, the NZRL Board brought in Global Elite Sports to assist with recruitment.
Confident that Peters' is the right person for the job, the New Zealand Rugby League Chairman, Reon Edwards says his appointment brings about some exciting prospects for the organisation.
"When it comes to leading high performance organisations to the top, Peters has the resume and experience to prove he is the one to lead the New Zealand Rugby League into a new era," said NZRL Chair Reon Edwards.
"Our game requires a strong, resilient leader who understands the nuances of grassroots sports and the connection with our community, while having the leadership qualities and commercial skills to grow the NZRL brand. Greg's C.V. speaks for itself. He is a proven CEO with plenty of experience at provincial and international level. He's now excited about the prospect of applying his vast experience to a game he follows as a fan and has huge respect for.
"With the recent appointment of Michael Maguire as Kiwis Head Coach, and now Greg Peters set to lead the organisation, I believe we have leaders with the capability to implement the necessary systems and processes that will drive NZRL into the future.
"Our rugby league community expect that we represent the NZRL values of integrity, respect, leadership, courage and passion to the highest standard, and Greg does so in the most humble fashion," Edwards said.
As an avid supporter of sport and its societal impact, Peters understands that the success of a high performing sport organisation is the result of several different factors.
"High performance sport is not just about what happens on the field - it's the whole organisation from grassroots to the elite.
"While my experience has predominantly been in rugby union, the fundamentals of leading a sports organisation to succeed are transferrable and my focus now is getting the NZRL to reach new heights.
"I know New Zealanders are passionate about their rugby league and if we re-establish trust in the NZRL brand, we can re-position rugby league in the hearts and minds of the wider community.
"Rugby league has the power to galvanise, unite and inspire communities in a way that few other sports can," Peters said.
-RNZ
