A Cook Islands accountant and former public servant has been selected to join the nine-member decision-making table of New Zealand Rugby.

Caren Rangi has been officially announced as a member of the New Zealand Rugby Board. The announcement was made by New Zealand Rugby (NZR) on Monday (NZ time).
Rangi, who served on the Board of the Cook Islands Investment Corporation (CIIC) for almost eight years, has been selected to join the NZ Rugby Board alongside All Blacks legend Keven Mealamu MNZM, Catherine Savage, David Kirk MBE, Doug Jones, Grant Jarrold, Greg Barclay, Julia Raue and Rowena Davenport.

Fletcher Melvin, chair of Cook Islands Investment Corporation, yesterday congratulated Rangi on her appointment.

“As chair of the Cook Islands Investment Corporation, I warmly congratulate Caren Rangi on her appointment to the New Zealand Rugby Board. Caren has always exemplified leadership, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to excellence – qualities that made her an invaluable asset to our organisation during her tenure as director of CIIC, and subsequently as a governance training provider,” Melvin said.

“Her appointment is not only a recognition of her extraordinary capabilities but also a testament to the immense potential of Cook Islanders to excel on the global stage.

“We are confident that her insights and dedication will bring great value to New Zealand Rugby, and we are immensely proud to see her continue to inspire through her achievements.

“We wish her every success in this exciting new chapter of her career.”

According to NZR’s statement, the appointments must now be ratified by its voting members, which consist of the 26 Provincial Unions and the New Zealand Māori Rugby Board.

The Ratification ballot closes at 5pm on December 17.

The NZR said each appointment requires a majority vote from the voting members to be officially ratified, with one vote per voting member allocated per voting member.

Appointments and Remunerations Panel (ARP) chair Rachel Taulelei said the ARP thoroughly reviewed the candidates.

“The ARP has been privileged to review many exceptional applications, reflecting the depth of talent and commitment to the future of rugby in New Zealand,” she said.

“We believe we have selected nine exceptional candidates and are confident our recommendations meet constitutional requirements, the requisite skills and needs, and the desire for both continuity and a fresh perspective.”

Taulelei emphasised the careful consideration given to the mix of skills, experience, and other attributes, aiming to assemble a board capable of functioning effectively as a team during this critical time for rugby in New Zealand.

“The panel gave particular attention to the mix of skills, experience and other attributes as we focused on assembling a board that will operate effectively as a team at this critical juncture for rugby in New Zealand.

“While this process has been challenging and not without immense scrutiny, we have at all times maintained complete independence and unanimity.

“We are delighted to have arrived at an excellent list of new directors and are deeply optimistic for the future of rugby in New Zealand.”

The board-elect met late last week and collectively endorsed Kirk, a former All Blacks captain who led the team to victory in the inaugural Rugby World Cup at home in 1987, as the chair-elect.

This decision will be formalised at the board’s first meeting in 2025.

The NZR said the panel was “extremely” encouraged by this early sign of unity.

“The new nine-person NZR Board is to take office no later than 1 February 2025, with the existing Board to continue in office in a caretaker role until that date.”

Rangi has family ties to Rarotonga, Rakahanga and Aitutaki, but was born and raised in New Zealand.

Her parents were childhood sweethearts.

Rangi’s mother, Berry, is from Rakahanga. She left there when she was 12 to attend Tereora College in Rarotonga; she’s now 81 and has not been back to

Rakahanga since she was a teenager. Her father, Puna, was raised by his grandfather in Parekura, which is where the couple first met.

When they eventually decided to get married in Aotearoa, they bypassed the normal destination – Auckland – where Cook Islanders used to settle in Aotearoa back then, and headed to Christchurch, where they started married life on their own. Rangi was born there in 1967, her brother Geoffrey followed two years later.

Eventually mother decided the cold was too much, and the family moved to the warmer climes of Napier, to the suburb of Tamatea, where they still live today.

Rangi first came to the Cook Islands in 1978, when she was 11. She met her mother’s feeding father (her great-great grand uncle), who had travelled from Rakahanga to meet up with the family.

Rangi had her primary and secondary education in Tamatea. At one stage she wanted to join a Cook Islands dance group that was heading off to Barcelona; probably fortunately, her parents intervened. Instead, she was steered towards Massey University where she graduated with a Bachelor of Business Studies and Accountancy, and started on the path to a stellar career, particularly in business governance, in New Zealand.

She has been the chair of the Arts Council of NZ, Board member of Radio New Zealand, and Te Papa – the Museum of NZ. In addition to those prestigious appointments, she either is or has been on the Board of nearly 20 other New Zealand public boards and organisations.

In the 2018 Queen’s Birthday Honours, Rangi was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM), for services to the Pacific community and governance.

• Additional reporting from Christine Rovoi of PMN and Derek Fox