After consulting family, Palmer decided the honour, for services to sport, was as much about acknowledging the many contributors to the women’s game, in particular. In accepting the title, she singled out Sue Garden-Bachop, Laurie O’Reilly, JJ Stewart and Darryl Suasua as pioneers in this field.
“There are lots of people who have gone before me who have done amazing things in women’s rugby and Māori rugby so I thought I would do it for them. Hopefully, I can represent them and do my best.
“All those people who have been trailblazers in women’s rugby who may or may not have been acknowledged in the past. I’m thinking why not them, and why me, but I feel like sometimes when you’re in a leadership role you have to put yourself out there and say, ‘Yes we’ve done a lot in this space.’ It’s a team effort. I know that sounds corny but for me it’s true.”
While reluctant to bask in the recognition Palmer shared the inspiration behind her transition into governance.
“I always had this really cheesy aspiration. When I was at college I wrote down I wanted to make a difference to people I cared about. For me, that was Māori and women. I didn’t know how I was going to do that. I got a scholarship to do a PE degree, discovered rugby and then felt this is where I can contribute.”
Consistently forging new ground in a traditionally conservative sport is not always easy, either.
“I’ve had big self-doubt; I’ve made a lot of mistakes along the way. I’ve had issues with people that I thought I wouldn’t be able to overcome but I am resilient and get determined and keep going. I’ve done that a lot during my career and I’ll continue to do that.”
Since retiring from rugby in 2006 Palmer has fashioned a distinguished governance career. She started with her local Manawatū union and gradually progressed through the ranks to break the glass ceiling as the first woman on the New Zealand Rugby board in 2016.
Last year she was elected vice-chairwoman, and also chairs the Māori Rugby board. While former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy was anointed NZ Rugby’s first female chairwoman last month, Palmer is not ruling out contesting that role in future.
“Never say never,” she said. “At the moment Dame Patsy Reddy is an amazing leader and I’m going to try and learn as much as I can from her while she’s there. We’ll see what the future holds. Ten years ago I would not have said we would be winning the World Cup in 2022 so I’m really optimistic.”
On that note, the Black Ferns capturing their sixth title, their first on home soil, proved a highlight of the sporting year. Palmer played a key role in advocating to secure the World Cup hosting rights. As the tournament reached its climax with a record women’s rugby crowd at a sold-out Eden Park, she revelled in the team’s against-the-odds success.
“My heart was bursting with so much joy. I won three World Cups as a player and then in 2018 when we bid to host the tournament it felt like playing in another. We really put it out there and showed so much passion for why we should be hosting. From 2018 through to 2022 there was a massive effort to do it justice. I’m so proud of NZ Rugby; the Black Ferns old and new.
“Every World Cup makes another progression but this one went through the roof. We’ve had a mixture of amazing athletes and personalities; Michelle Hooper on the organising committee, and Dame Julie Christie, they did an amazing job getting all New Zealanders to support. We couldn’t have asked for a better outcome.”
Palmer recognises the importance of NZ Rugby capitalising on that groundswell support the women’s game received throughout the tournament.
“We’re not going to take our foot off the throttle. We’ve got a women’s and girls’ strategy that is going to make sure we build a really strong base. We know we’re going to get an influx of girls wanting to get involved whether that be playing, refereeing, volunteering or coaching and we’ve got to ensure we’ve got a system that’s ready for that.
“We need to get people invested in the game. Not just because we want rugby to be great.
“Personally, rugby has been a great vehicle to do other things. I still work at Massey University – that’s my day job. I find the combination of sport and something else is a really useful thing in life.”
Palmer has one more year on the NZ Rugby board but will remain on Sport New Zealand’s board. Beyond that, the 50-year-old will continue her work as executive director, Māori Student Success at Massey University, and seek to inspire future Māori and female generations through other avenues.
“It’s my passion. There are huge benefits to that. I’m actually very introverted but you’ve got to see it to believe it so putting myself out there helps other young Māori women see someone who looks like them in a position they can influence. That’s my goal, to help others follow their goals and follow their own path.
“There’s so much more to do. It’s not the work of one, it’s the work of many. I truly believe that.
“I want to keep myself on edge, continue to grow and develop. I’m going to keep giving back.”
