Northern Advocate
  • Northern Advocate home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei
  • Kaipara
  • Mangawhai
  • Dargaville

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northern Advocate

New Northland Rugby Union chairwoman excited to drive Northland Rugby to be the best

Yolisa Tswanya
By Yolisa Tswanya
Deputy news director·Northland Age·
21 Jul, 2024 05:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Newly appointed Northland Rugby Union chairperson, Nikita Tomlinson. Photo / Supplied

Newly appointed Northland Rugby Union chairperson, Nikita Tomlinson. Photo / Supplied

Having been in leadership positions since the age of 21, newly appointed Northland Rugby chairwoman Nikita Tomlinson hopes to use her skills, love for rugby and passion to further rugby in Northland.

Tomlinson was appointed as the chairwoman of the union last week, with Kelly McCullam appointed deputy.

She said there was a shift in the sport being male-dominated and their appointments were a positive change.

“I am excited to think that having women in positions like chair and deputy chair further encourages those with appropriate skill sets to step forward and get involved. Diversity ultimately brings greater diversity of thought, backgrounds, mindset, experiences and therefore outcomes.”

She further emphasised that at Northland Rugby 40% of staff were women and the union actively promoted women’s rugby through a dedicated Women’s Lead in their community team.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Newly appointed Northland Rugby Union chairperson, Nikita Tomlinson. Photo / Supplied
Newly appointed Northland Rugby Union chairperson, Nikita Tomlinson. Photo / Supplied

Tomlinson said her love for rugby started on the sidelines, cheering on her little brother and the All Blacks.

“I have seen firsthand that rugby can bring a sense of community and togetherness at its most grassroots level, and as a born and bred Northlander, this is so important to me.”

Also important to her is the responsibility that comes with her new position, which she said she will use to drive Northland Rugby to be the best it can be.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

“Our vision for Northland Rugby focuses on supporting our community, driving participation, and ensuring the success of our high-performance teams and events. We aim to provide development opportunities for players and coaches while maintaining financial stability.

“Building long-term strategic partnerships and understanding our stakeholders are key. We strive for continuous innovation and improvement, embedding our values and creating clear pathways for Northlanders.”

“Our strategic objective as a provincial union is to be the best. This means we need to continue the good mahi that has come before us and continue to build on the foundations we have in place. It means striving towards absolute excellence, innovation and sustainability.”

She said she would take forth lessons like respect for legacy, and trusting your voice and abilities, from outgoing chairperson Andrew Golightly.

In signing out, Golightly said, in a statement, that it was an honour to have served Northland Rugby and wished the new members well.

“I value her skills in business, finance, strategy, and rugby passion, and this sees her well-placed to be the NRU chair in 2024 and beyond. She has my full support in taking up this important role, and I know she will do an outstanding job. I step back knowing Northland Rugby is in safe hands with Nikita as chair, our quality board, and our great staff.”

Rugby hall of famer, Canadian-born Kelly McCallum will serve as deputy and said she was honoured to be on the board and privileged to be able to support Tomlinson.

Newly appointed Northland Rugby Union deputy chairperson, Kelly McCullum. Photo /Supplied
Newly appointed Northland Rugby Union deputy chairperson, Kelly McCullum. Photo /Supplied

“My rugby experience spans across tamariki, rangatahi, community, high performance, and professional levels. Having lived in Northland for more than 26 years, I have a solid understanding of the areas in our game that require attention.” McCallum captained and played for her birth country, Canada, in two rugby World Cups and was recently inducted into the Canadian Rugby Hall of Fame. She has also coached internationally for Japan’s sevens.

She said she hoped to make sustainable, equitable change in her position.

“I have strong knowledge in governance processes, DEI initiatives and understanding the rugby culture … Collective leadership is essential for effective governance moving forward and most importantly it is about the people.”

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Northern Advocate

Northern Advocate

Volunteer bakers needed to meet growing demand in Northland

Northern Advocate

'I felt really duped': Senior police manager alleges bullying and 'boys' club' culture

Northern Advocate

256-year-old anchor found after 43 years, confirming historic discovery


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northern Advocate

Volunteer bakers needed to meet growing demand in Northland
Northern Advocate

Volunteer bakers needed to meet growing demand in Northland

Recipients of treats include Women's Refuge, Kind Hands Respite Care Cottage and more.

19 Jul 05:05 PM
'I felt really duped': Senior police manager alleges bullying and 'boys' club' culture
Northern Advocate

'I felt really duped': Senior police manager alleges bullying and 'boys' club' culture

19 Jul 02:00 AM
256-year-old anchor found after 43 years, confirming historic discovery
Northern Advocate

256-year-old anchor found after 43 years, confirming historic discovery

18 Jul 07:43 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northern Advocate e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Northern Advocate
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northern Advocate
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP