FEATURE INTERVIEW: DAVID GIBSON, GM NORTH HARBOUR RUGBY
A chat with...
David Gibson
By Aidan Bennett
The tenacious former Blues halfback and new GM at North Harbour Rugby. David Gibson is the new General Manager of North Harbour Rugby. Judging by the reports we are hearing, the union has got a real goodie to lead them. David – or Gibbo as he is affectionately known to many – has an impressive rugby and rugby management pedigree. He was born in Hawera and started playing rugby in Taranaki. While he became a toplevel halfback, he originally played fullback for New Zealand Secondary Schools before heading to Dunedin in 2008. There he completed a Bachelor of Physical Education at the University of Otago. He made the Otago and North Island Under 18 sides, and represented New Zealand in both the world champion Under 19 side and the Under 20s. Gibson then pulled on the Highlanders jersey in 2002 before moving to Auckland and the Blues in 2003. There he won the Super Rugby title in his first year. He played for the Blues until 2007 and also played for Auckland, and was part of a team that won the Ranfurly Shield and two national titles. In 2006, he played for Northland. He also played international rugby for New Zealand M¯aori – an honour which was special to Gibson because of his M¯aori heritage. The 37-year-old, who lives in Greenhithe with his wife Gillian and their three children – has spent the past decade with the New Zealand Rugby Players Association (NZRPA) in various roles, including working in member services, five years as Player Services Manager and, more recently, two years as the General Manager for the Association. During Gibson’s nine years with the NZRPA he has seen the membership base grow and, with that, an increase in demand for player services and an increase in awareness of the issues players face. Gibson was an integral part of negotiating a Collective Employment Agreement for players. Gibson completed a Diploma in Business Administration Management at AUT University. In 2006, a neck injury interrupted his playing career and he undertook work experience in the marketing department of Auckland Rugby and also at the NZRPA. In 2008, he officially called time on his illustrious rugby career as a result of his neck injury and had to deal with the challenges associated with coming to terms with the end of his professional rugby career. His post rugby career started at the NZRPA. While with the NZRPA Dave continued his education, both working on an MBA from the Edinburgh Business School and learning Te Reo M¯aori. NZRPA's President David Kirk had this to say at his farewell. “David’s contribution to the NZRPA has been impressive. In his time with us, he has been involved in many important areas. For me, the highlights among his many achievements are the growth of the Personal Development Programme, the people he has brought into the programme, and the resulting expansion of the support that we offer players." NZRPA’s CEO Rob Nichol is thrilled that his colleague and good friend has secured his new role, saying: “I am both impressed and proud of what Gibbo has achieved, initially during his playing days, but even more so following his retirement from playing due to injury. His determination and desire to develop and evolve his skill base for the Personal Development Programme and his other duties – which all grew in complexity and scale
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Issue 78 - July 2017 www.channelmag.co.nz
David Gibson
– have been constant, as have his friendship and support for everyone he has worked with." Gibson officially started at North Harbour Rugby on Monday 12 June, replacing Brett Hollister. Channel Magazine’s Aidan Bennett put these questions to him over a coffee in mid-June. AIDAN BENNETT: Professional rugby clearly has some challenges, but Harbour must be in a good position to thrive in coming years? DAVID GIBSON: Yes, you are right, there are some obvious trends in New Zealand Rugby when it comes to engagement and participation, some really positive and some that need some attention. North Harbour Rugby has made some positive progress in a number of areas, particularly in the female and junior grades due to the hard work and passion by those at the coal face. Conversely, we are seeing a drop off when it comes to young people choosing to play rugby in schools, which then flows on to the clubs where there are fewer people playing senior rugby, volunteering and managing the game at a community level. These trends are well known. Providing meaningful and long lasting solutions will take some innovative thinking, and this is an area that I hope to spend some time understanding with those in the clubs, schools and communities. On a positive note we currently have over 10,000 registered players in the province, which includes the strongest growth in the women’s game in New Zealand, and I think it is important that we take the time to reflect and really celebrate that. There are some amazing passionate people in our province who work tirelessly to bring all of the moving parts together so our kids can play, have fun and grow as people, our coaches can create safe and empowering cultures, and our families and communities can