Rugby: NZRU board member Wayne Peters retires his seat

Wayne Peters.

New Zealand Rugby Union's Maori board member Wayne Peters has retired his seat following a bout of ill health.

A qualified lawyer, Peters has been a life-long passionate rugby follower and joined the NZR board in 2009 - making him the longest server in the current set up.

He was the chairman of the Northland Union from 2006 to 2008, and served as a director of the Blues franchise over the same period. Before that, Peters played rugby for Otago, Northland, New Zealand Universities and the New Zealand Juniors and was principal of his own law firm in Whangarei.

"I'm proud of the achievements of the New Zealand Rugby board over the past seven years and in particular the growth of Maori rugby at the community and high-performance level," Peters said.

"Maori rugby has never been stronger and I look forward to seeing it continue to flourish with the support of a new representative on the board when they're elected later this week."

The country's 26 provincial unions have made nominations to replace him and results from the subsequent vote will be made public later this week.

NZR chief executive Steve Tew said Peters had been a positive force and strong advocate for promoting Maori rugby. "The maori board works actively alongside NZR's community and high-performance teams in developing plans and strategies to ensure Maori rugby remains strong. As chairman of the board, Wayne was always supportive of efforts to engage Maori in all areas of the game. NZR wishes Wayne and his family all the best for the future."

New Zealand Rugby's 26 provincial unions have been invited to make nominations for the vacant Maori representative position with the results of the subsequent election due to be announced later this week.