Founding Tasman chair Max Spence now enjoying the fruits of past labours
Former Tasman Rugby Union chairman Max Spence is now enjoying the fruits of his labours.
Following last year's ITM Cup premiership rugby final in New Plymouth, Max Spence stepped out onto Yarrow Stadium for a moment of solitary reflection.
The former Tasman Rugby Union chairman wasn't dwelling on the fact that the Tasman Makos had just lost 36-32 to Taranaki in the National Provincial Championship decider. Instead, Spence simply took time to soak up the atmosphere of New Zealand provincial rugby's show piece and revel in the fact that Tasman had finally arrived as an integral part of the national rugby fabric.
Spence knew better than anyone the often tortuous path, particularly during its formative years, that Tasman had taken before reaching last year's lofty perch. So it was with some sense of pride, tinged with obvious delight, that he was able to celebrate Tasman's enhanced status.
It had been Spence, as Nelson Bays chairman, way back in 2005 who had first broached the idea of Nelson Bays stepping up to first division ranks after several successful seasons in division two. But understanding the likely criteria the New Zealand Rugby Union would impose on any proposed promotion bid, Spence realised Marlborough also had to be on board.
"I took an idea to the Nelson Bays board back in 2005 and I said to them, `look the competition's going to be restructured next year, there's an opportunity for us to do something that might give us a chance to play with the big boys, but it'll require us to meet the criteria that New Zealand [Rugby Union] are going to set and we're only going to do that if we take Marlborough with us'," Spence said.
"I'd been on the Crusaders board since 1999, so I could see what influence professional rugby was having and you were either going to go with it or you were going to be left behind. So this was an opportunity for us. Regardless of what people thought, we had two options - either go with it or just go backwards. There was no standing still."
With Spence at the helm of a seven-man steering committee involving people from both sub-unions, the bold notion of a joint bid steadily gathered momentum. An application was lodged with the NZRU in March, 2005 and nine months later, the amalgamation was finally approved at a special general meeting of the NZRU in Wellington.
But initial jubilation gradually gave way to mounting acrimony as increasingly serious financial issues, notably around the development of Blenheim's Lansdowne Park, created a potentially fatal rift between Tasman and various elements of the Marlborough sub-union.
"The financial requirements in reality were different to what we'd been advised, so that immediately put us under some pressure," Spence said. "We accepted the fact there was going to be some pain, but we never envisaged there would be quite so much financial pain."
So in a bid to ease the tensions, Spence and the entire Tasman board resigned in 2009.
"To build some bridges, the whole Tasman board at the time resigned, we all stepped aside and a new board was appointed. At that stage I didn't put myself forward again on the basis that there was too much bad blood between Tasman and the Marlborough sub-union and it needed new leadership to be able to attempt to heal that - so that was the right thing to do."
Initially under chief executive Peter Barr and new chairman Nick Paterson, and through some tough but prudent fiscal management, Tasman's financial health gradually began to improve to the point where this year, they were able to declare their fifth profit in the last six years.
"The administration since 2009 has worked hard and done a good job in getting the two sub-unions to continue to work together," Spence said.
"These were two proud unions who were struggling to sleep together, but at the end of the day, there were enough good people around that they just needed to persevere. It's a generational thing and we're still part way through it.
"If a generation's 20 years, we're only half way through the first generation of people knowing rugby in the top of the south as the Tasman Rugby Union. As people graduate from schoolboy into the senior rugby, they're in tune with the Makos and everything that represents. They'll be the supporters going forward and the next group will come through and it's only a matter of time before it's all about Tasman - and it's not about what we had, it's about what we've got.
"I take great pride in the fact that every year we've continued to improve our position both financially and in terms of our status in the competition. It's a credit to those who have worked hard since then.
"They've all left something behind and clearly the high profile contribution has come from the two coaches [Kieran Keane and Leon MacDonald] of late who then, in turn, have got the players believing in the style of rugby that can only make the province proud."
And so to last year's final.
"I was delighted. I spent time out on the ground after the game on my own just soaking it all in really. It wasn't the end of anything, it was just part of where we're progressing to...and last year in New Plymouth could easily have been at Trafalgar Park and we've still got that hosting and winning a final yet to achieve.
"We're not there yet and there's no reason we can't believe that we can't do it. It's why we sat there all those times at all those meetings late at night and why we took the hits that we did. New Plymouth just captured some of that."
It also amazes Spence the amount of national support Tasman continues to attract.
"I travel around the country a lot in my job [as national manager for Fruitfed Supplies] and to this day, people still talk about what they see as the success of Tasman, they don't talk about all the shit that went on back when the NZRU tried to tip four unions out - that's history.
"Everyone just sees it now in a really positive light and the number of people who have Tasman as their second team after their own home province is bewildering."
