So Gibson is stepping up and in at a good time. He does not pretend to have ready-made answers to all the issues of helming a large provincial union, but he is going to show he has two good ears for listening, and a willingness to be visible. He knows the success of the top side is critical, but not overwhelmingly so.
"It's about giving the community a really good experience. Success, for me, is not just about the guys doing well on the field, but also that the guys are delivering for the sponsors and the people they are interacting with. The role of the PU needs to be about more than just performance," he says.
That said, there is a fair degree of anticipation around the Mitre 10 Cup opener on Thursday August 17, a crossover clash with Otago at QBE Stadium. It is not the only keenly anticipated fixture for Harbour. Sunday September 3 sees the resumption of a bonafide 'Battle of the Bridge' clash with Auckland.
Gibson becomes very animated talking about this grudge match.
"It was my first game for Auckland (against Harbour) and I was crapping myself marking 'Sharkey' Robinson. I remember those battles were really intense."
Nothing will change in that regard on September 3. 4.35pm kickoff. Lock it in.
Many of North Harbour's signings for the 2017 season were inked before Gibson got his feet under the desk, but he will continue to work with new head coach Tom Coventry, a fellow NZ Barbarians club member, to fill the last spots on the roster. Harbour, like many unions, has taken a prudent approach to the salary cap in recent years. It is no longer seen as a target, as it was in 2006, when Gibson was still playing and average players were coining it for three months work without even being fulltime Super Rugby pros. He admits the model was "out of whack" then, but it is far more balanced now.
"We've got a nice balance in the Mitre 10 Cup management, with Tom, Daniel Halangahu and Russell Hilton-Jones. Off the good work Jacko did, we are hoping to grow that. There's a lot of consistency in the playing group, those who are coming back and experienced new signings like Jarrad Hoeata. The sense I get is that the players enjoy the environment and we have leaders in good spots. I am excited about the season," Gibson says.
Coventry will feel the loss of Chris Vui, Michael Little and Matt McGahan, but has made some astute gains in Shaun Stevenson, Chris Eves (a Massey HS old boy), the aforementioned Hoeata, Fijian international Ben Volavola and Waikato hooker Steven Misa, among others. Some key sponsors have recommitted, so there is cause for optimism that North Harbour will acquit themselves well in the Premiership, though there is some parity across the two tiers.
Harbour, of course, is part of the wider Auckland region, and Gibson is the latest new, and relatively young, head of one of the three unions, after Jarrod Bear of Auckland and Barton Hoggard of Counties Manukau. They will be collaborating on areas of mutual interest in a strategically important area for New Zealand Rugby.
There is also the not insignificant matter of North Harbour's relationship with the Blues. Gibson has already met with Michael Redman and Tony Hanks of the franchise. Where once North Harbour was the poor relation when it came to their players being promoted to the franchise squad, that issue seems to have largely been alleviated, perhaps with some help from Steve Jackson, under Tana Umaga. So we now see the likes of Gerard Cowley-Tuioti and Matt Duffie as Blues' front-liners.
"We need to work together to create really compelling opportunities for our playing group," says Gibson. While the franchise central contracting model enables the Blues to comb the country for talent, the reality is they should be drawing most of their players from Papatoetoe to Panguru.
Of more urgent relevance to Gibson and North Harbour is the ongoing movement for having pan-Auckland junior or schools competitions. Discussions around that will happen, says Gibson, especially as other sports have embraced that. Already some teams do play in Auckland competitions, including East Coast Bays' premier women. He knows there is an issue in North Harbour about retaining young school-leavers in the game. There is no Under 19s grade, for instance. While the Under 85kg grades cater for that to a certain extent, it does not plug all the holes.
"The trends are well-known. There is a growing population and business sector, our women's game is strong, as are our junior numbers (under 13). There is a slight drop-off in school-leavers and the club side of things seems to be trending down. That's a challenge.
"I don't have the answers (yet), but the more time I spend with the people on the ground, the better," Gibson says.
He had an extensive playing career as a more than useful halfback which ended abruptly due to a neck injury at just 27. But he did turn out for several teams, including the Blues, Highlanders, New Zealand Maori, Auckland, Otago and Northland. You may recall he was the 'unofficial' man of the match in the 2003 Super 12 final for the Blues, their last triumph. But he was not unprepared for post-rugby life.
"That was a challenging time for me, being a young man. But I'd always made sure that the balance was there around study and opportunities outside the game. Having said that, it is only when it (retirement) gets thrust in front of you that you have really have to think about it."
Gibson started working for the New Zealand Rugby Players' Association. He was in the thick of the collective bargaining agreement process and the development of the PDP (Personal Development Programme). Most recently he had risen to be general manager of the NZRPA, so he is au fait with contracting and player agents. That will be very useful in his current position.
"I felt like I'd given as much to the association as I could in the work I was doing. It was time for someone else to come in and revitalise."
Gibson was already living in Greenhithe and coaching his twin boys in the JB5s at the Marist club.
"That helped me refine my career path, in a sense. I always had a feeling that I'd love to be involved in a PU and I'm just lucky that it's one that's close to my heart and my family and the community. Coaching the kids really fired up something within me and, having worked in the industry and seen all the different moving parts, being part of a PU was a natural and positive step."
When it is put to Gibson that there might be a heap more stress in his new role after his NZRPA days, he raises a smile.
"I don't know if 'stress' is the word. If you are passionate about what you do, you can work through that."
