He commended the rugby community for the level of dedication shown.
George Brown and Hayden Swann rolled over into their second year as board members and were re-elected as chairman and vice-chairman respectively at the first board meeting held after the annual meeting.
Darryl Hudson’s reappointment as an independent board member was announced at the meeting.
Sue Baker resigned from the board and the selection committee will make an appointment at a later date.
The rest of the board consists of Jamie Hutana as Council of Clubs chairman and new board member Tuki Sweeney as his vice-president. Cara Haines remains JAB chairwoman.
The union reported a surplus of $21,201 for the season from total revenue of $829,215, which followed a surplus of $18,892 in 2016.
Davis attributed the small profit to a combination of loyal sponsorship, “led again by LeaderBrand and numerous local businesses and individuals”.
Additional funding from NZR and improved expenses management with the Poverty Bay Heartland team were also important, he said.
Sponsorship totalled $137,498, down from $141,941 in 2016; grants were $115,947, down from $145,759; NZR revenue was $477,687, down from $482,319.
The biggest expenses were in wages and salaries ($284,486), and team expenses ($281,049).
Davis said rugby continued to maintain its position as the “No.1 participation sport in the region”.
Playing numbers remained static, with 2050 registered players compared with 2059 in 2016.
Secondary schoolboy numbers were “a little disappointing’’ after an increase in numbers the previous year.
Secondary schoolgirl participation was “a particular highlight”, with Gisborne Girls’ High School winning the Hawke’s Bay championship at their first attempt.
Brown said the union’s aim to maintain the growth of women’s rugby was reflected in the 2017-2018 budget.
There had been steady progress since the recent introduction of the new Council of Clubs and JAB committees, as part of the new board structure.
“We would like to see better commitment and involvement from the clubs.”
Referees chairman Paul Brown said the development of new referees had progressed well.
But he was concerned at referee abuse, which had resulted in some refs resigning. Others had to be convinced to continue. Referee abuse needed to be tackled in the new season.
On-the-field highlights of the season included Siua Moala, Ethine Reeves and Everard Reid being selected for the Heartland 15 and Pat McHugh being appointed team doctor; and Sione Ngatu — the union’s most capped player — having his 150th game for Poverty Bay.
Davis said he was reluctant to leave the union.
He was proud of the many recent changes and was confident the many volunteers who helped the chief executive and staff in achieving their goals would continue to do so.
Office manager Karen Bryant is serving as interim chief executive.
The position has been advertised, with applications closing on Friday, March 16.
