Former Black Fern, Deputy Chair NZRFU
Professor dame farah palmer
Ngāti Maniapoto, Waikato.
Since leaving Piopio where she grew up on a sheep and cattle farm, Farah went on to complete a PhD in Sport Sociology and reach the highest echelons in rugby – playing for a decade in the black jersey (1997-2006) and captaining the Black Ferns to 3 World Cup victories.
After hanging up her boots, she continued to give back to education and sport (particularly rugby) in a variety of roles.
Most recently, Farah became the Chair of the NZ Māori Rugby Board and the first woman on the NZ Rugby Board in 2016, a director of Ihi Aotearoa Sport NZ in 2018 and Deputy Chair of the NZ Rugby Board in 2022.
Farah applies her learnings and networks in leadership contexts to provide insight and challenge dominant narratives related to Māori, women and girls, leadership and governance. In 2022 she took on a new role as Pou Ākonga – leading ākonga Māori success initiatives at Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University within the DVC Māori Office, and continues to enjoy being part of a high performing team, and seeing others reach their potential.
She keeps herself grounded by visiting the family farm back in Piopio, with her two children and partner, to give them a taste of the rural upbringing that set her up well for problem-solving, rolling your sleeves up to get stuff done, and being strategic to achieve sustainable and inter-generational wellbeing.