Scott Kahle
Chairman
Scott has player senior club rugby in several regions throughout the country and is involved in coaching at premier womens club level.

Scott brings strong expertise to the board with a background in finance, he also has an established background in business growth and the formation of strategic partnerships.

He is currently Head of Alliances and Strategic Partnerships with FMG and is a strong supporter of the BOPRU.
Outside of this role Scott is active in the local community with governance roles within a local charity and the education sector, together with being busy with kids sports most weekends.

Megan Cleverley

Megan brings over 25 years of experience in the sports sector, specialising in community sport through her work with clubs and regional sporting organisations. Her expertise includes developing volunteer capability, building sustainable organisations, strategic planning, human resource management, health and safety, and other key areas of sport management.

She served as Sport Manager at Sport Bay of Plenty for nine years, where she worked closely with regional sporting organisations including the Bay of Plenty Rugby Union, clubs, councils, and the CEO of Surf Lifesaving Bay of Plenty. Currently, Megan is the General Manager at Tauranga Hockey Association.

Megan holds a Bachelor of Business, majoring in Human Resource Management, a Postgraduate Diploma in Sport Management, and a NEBOSH Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety.

In addition to her operational roles, Megan has accumulated 33 years of governance experience across various sporting codes and community organisations including Upper Central Zone Rugby League, Tauranga Girls' College and the Brain Injured Children Trust. An enthusiastic hiker with a passion for the outdoors, she also serves on the Ōtanewainuku Kiwi Trust Board.

Danny Te Pou

Danny’s whakapapa has a long history of involvement with Bay of Plenty Rugby. Matt Te Pou being a role model for his whanau to prove that with perseverance and dedication, comes great things..

Danny played from age group up to colts before relocating to Wellington to further his Telecommunications career in 1988. He had played Senior rugby in Wellington till 1994 then moved into Administration side of grass roots at various Rugby Clubs within the Poneke region.

Since returning to the Bay of Plenty region in 2007 and starting TPCommunications. Danny has contributed to community rugby at grass roots level and continues to sponsor numerous EBOP Clubs & Rep Teams. 

Danny has been on the EBOPRSU as a delegate since 2008 to 2022. In 2023 Danny was appointed the President of Eastern Bay of Plenty Rugby Sub Union and has served 3 years in that role.

In that time Danny has been pivotal and focused on upgrading the EBOPRSU headquarters at Rugby Park, Whakatane. Bringing Internet access not only to the boardroom, but the entire rugby park is covered under Wireless coverage. Upgrading EBOPRSU Accounts from paper to Digital. Liaise with Whakatane District Council on annual Lease Agreements for EBOPRSU. And increasing the exposure of Youth Rugby within our region with support and funding to cover costs for sending our Tamariki to tournaments around the motu

I believe that I will bring a positive approach to the BOPRU and am passionate about community and grassroots rugby. I have a strong belief that working as a team, we can succeed collectively.

Ezra Schuster

Ezra is the current Regional Public Service Commissioner for the Bay of Plenty, a senior leadership role responsible for aligning government agencies, iwi and local partners across the region. He brings nearly two decades of regional and national public sector leadership experience, with a strong focus on governance, partnership and strategic oversight. 

Ezra is passionate about the role rugby and sport can play as a platform for youth development, community connection and positive social change across the Bay of Plenty.

Previously, Ezra served as Director of Education for the Bay of Plenty and National Pacific Manager for the Ministry of Education. He has also held senior roles with the Tertiary Education Commission and Ministry of Health as a Partnerships Director supporting coordinated community responses during COVID-19. Ezra chaired the NZ Commonwealth Study Conferences Board and was awarded a national leadership fellowship to Oxford University, including time with Leeds Rhinos and Ospreys Rugby in Wales to better understand how professional rugby organisations support community engagement, participation and youth development.

He currently co-chairs several Local Leadership Groups across the Bay alongside iwi leaders and helped establish the Pasifika Vaka, the Bay’s first Pasifika advisory to the public service. A proud New Zealand-born Samoan with ancestral connections to the villages of Faleapuna, Mata-utu (Lefaga) and Fogapoa (Safotu-Lafai), he maintains strong relationships within Pasifika communities regionally, nationally and across the Pacific. Ezra is married to his childhood sweetheart Rachel and they have five children.

Rob Smith

Independent Board Member

Rob has worked in the sport and entertainment sector for 20+ years, initially as a lawyer for IMG before moving to Rugby Australia to lead player contracting and collective agreement administration. More recently Rob has performed in a range of roles and responsibilities (talent management, commercial rights sales, strategy and planning, account management, legal affairs and leadership) in a variety of business’ in the sport and entertainment sector, including Sports & Entertainment Limited, GroupM and Wasserman (then CSM) where he was the Managing Director Australia, and sports-tech accelerator and investor XV Capital. Rob has also been a director of Surfing NSW and Sport NSW.

Since returning to Tauranga in early 2020 Rob has conducted an independent review of the funding and delivery of community sport in Auckland, project managed the delivery of two Manu Samoa rugby tests, assisted New Zealand’s five Super Rugby Clubs to develop a collaboration arrangement. He performed the role of COO of Natural Resource Sector Advisor and Impact Investment Project Director for EnviroStrat. 

Rob is now General Manager Corporate Development of Kiwi white-label ticketing platform Flicket.

An average rugby player (his words), Rob was privileged to play a lot of sport as a kid, he transitioned to play a little and be a fan of most sports and now busies himself outside of work supporting his primary school-aged kids’ ambitions in and out of the classroom.

Hana Tapiata

He tamāhine nō Te Arawa whānui, Hana traces her whakapapa to Te Arawa tribes in Rotorua, and to Ngāti Awa towards the Eastern Bay. 

She grew up playing multiple different sports and focused solely on rugby with the Go4Gold sevens programme in 2015.

Hana is a former Bay of Plenty Volcanix and Bay7s player who has represented multiple clubs throughout Rotorua in both 15s and 7s.

A published author and communications strategist, Hana's work is largely dedicated to story sovereignty, narrative and framing. She understands that how an organisation shares its story and messaging influences trust, credibility and connection to the communities it serves.

Hana has been part of the New Zealand Rugby Women in Governance programme, working with Iwi, Kaupapa Māori organisations and events, and brings that experience, alongside her background in sport, culture, and community, to her role.

Chad Tuoro​​​​​​​

​​​​​​​Independent Board Member

Chad’s connection to the Bay of Plenty region and its proud rugby heritage runs deep. With whakapapa to Te Whakatohea and Te Arawa, Chad was raised in Rotorua and Ōpōtiki, where his early passion for rugby was nurtured through junior club rugby, Tai Mitchell tournaments, and ultimately selection for the Bay of Plenty U13 representative side.

After attending boarding school in Auckland, Chad pursued his passion for sport and education by completing a Sports Degree and a Secondary School Teaching Diploma. His rugby journey continued at the professional level, representing the Counties Manukau Steelers (2007/2008), the Bay of Plenty Steamers (2010), and earning national honours with the All Blacks Sevens (2008/2009). At club level, he enjoyed great success with Ponsonby Rugby Club, winning three Gallagher Shields, before finishing his club playing days with Te Puna Rugby Club.

Chad brings extensive experience in High Performance Rugby, having worked as the Academy Manager for Bay of Plenty Rugby and later moving into a national role with New Zealand Rugby. There, he played a pivotal part in shaping the future of the All Blacks Sevens and Black Ferns Sevens as the Talent Identification and Development Manager, helping to identify and nurture the next generation of elite rugby talent.

In recent years, Chad has broadened his impact beyond the field, working in the Culture and Capability space. His focus has been on leadership and team development across sectors, including the New Zealand Department of Corrections, Te Whatu Ora Bay of Plenty, and Lakes DHB. His deep understanding of people, performance, and place continues to guide his contributions to Bay of Plenty Rugby.

Eleanor Tait

Independent Board Member

Eleanor Tait is an Associate Director of the Bay of Plenty Rugby Union, bringing a strong background in governance, business leadership, and athlete wellbeing. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sport and Exercise Science and Physiology; and a Master’s degree in Physiotherapy.

Eleanor has governance experience across health and sport organisations, with a focus on building effective systems, supporting clear decision-making, and achieving meaningful outcomes for the community. She co-owns a local physiotherapy clinic, where she leads operational management, team development, and strategic growth initiatives.

As a former international athlete, Eleanor understands first-hand the needs of players at every level, from grassroots to high performance. She believes that communities thrive when sport is accessible to all. Eleanor combines this perspective with her clinical and governance expertise to help create environments where athletes, staff, and volunteers can thrive, ensuring rugby remains strong and sustainable in the Bay of Plenty.