Matthew Cooper

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In this Pinnacle Post interview, Matthew Cooper, former All Black, New Zealand Rugby President and Chief Executive of Sport Waikato discusses his inspiring journey from elite athlete to influential leader. Matthew shares unique insights on sports leadership, building resilient teams, and driving positive change across the Waikato region. Whether you’re passionate about community development or interested in the future of sport in New Zealand, this interview offers practical advice and motivating stories from one of the country’s most respected sports leaders.

Q: What did you want to be when you were growing up? Was it always an All Black?

A: I suppose that was the early dream. The dream was probably more sport-focused, which my late mum might be disappointed about, as she might have preferred initially a more educational, creative or musical focus. I felt that if I was always true to who I am, the pathway would go well. That was part of our upbringing with Mum and Dad in Hawkes Bay. At that stage, I didn't really know, but it was probably banking on and taking a punt on sport being the enabler.

Q: You've had a remarkable career - playing rugby for Hawkes Bay, Waikato, Highlanders, Chiefs, All Blacks, and even for Croatia and then you've also had a very successful transition from rugby into the business world. You played rugby in both the non-professional era and the professional era. What's the difference between the two? And how different do you think it is between now and back when you were playing?

A: Well, the remuneration is a bit higher now! However, I didn't sense back then the rationale for playing was the legacy, you just played around as a young child growing up who dreamed of one day being an All Black. You were infatuated by the game. You followed the game, you read about the game, you got the weekly rugby news. The structure and competition formats were relatively uncluttered because we just had club rugby, provincial and if you were lucky enough, international. Back then you played club rugby amongst All Blacks.

I didn't sense back then the rationale for playing was the legacy, you just played around as a young child growing up who dreamed of one day being an All Black. You were infatuated by the game. You followed the game, you read about the game, you got the weekly rugby news.

The reason for playing the game back then was for the jersey. Playing for Waikato for 10 years were 10 of the most memorable years of my life, going into battle every week with my teammates. You certainly weren't thinking about your bank balance when you put on the famous red, yellow and black Waikato rugby jersey or even your club jersey. You were so focused on the enjoyment of playing sport, playing alongside your mates, and working hard for a win with some special prizes along the way such as the prized Ranfurly Shield. The rewards weren't monetary, but I’m so pleased that I was part that era with Hamilton Marist, Hawkes Bay and Waikato in those early years and I'll never not appreciate that time.

In saying that, I was fortunate in 1996 to be exposed to the start of professional rugby. I played for the Highlanders in year one and then had three years with the Chiefs. It was really neat to experience that, and I was always planning on 1999 to be the end of my playing career. Harrison, our first child, had come along in 1996 and I wasn't focused on going overseas to play in Italy or France. With a young child, it was about trying to establish myself in Hamilton and in the Waikato post-rugby.

1999 was a lovely time to finish. It was the end of the decade. I had 5 years with Hawkes Bay, 10 years with Waikato, four years professional rugby. I had the opportunity to play for my mother’s homeland, which way back then was Yugoslavia, but now Croatia. To wear that jersey in 1998 in Croatia against the Italians is again another very special experience. Rugby was a vehicle and compass for me to build what's happened now in my life.

Matthew playing Rugby for the All Blacks

You spent 5 years working for Lion as a salesperson from 1990 to 1995. Tell me how this came about. This was during the pre-professional era and you needed an income?

A: You had to work during those five years. My initial connection there was with Paul Honiss Senior. Paul gave me the opportunity to work for Lion in sales. We were playing for Waikato, sometimes in front of 25,000 to 50,000 people on the Saturday, but we had to work on Monday. Paul Honiss would give you Monday off when you won the Ranfurly Shield because he knew you might have been a little unfocused, so it was a great incentive back then to win! The Lion Breweries opportunity was great career because it taught me about relationships, brand, sales, and about going into a situation where you have to do a cold call. Lion gave me a great platform to transition the learnings from rugby into my career post-rugby, not to mention the outstanding people who are still mates today.

Q: Fast forward you've had a fast transition from rugby to being the CEO of Sport Waikato, but I believe you had a 2-year gap between 1999 and 2001 when you started at Sport Waikato. Tell me about that time and your transition post-rugby.

A: I had the opportunity to re-link my career with Lion Breweries straight after my rugby career finished and shortly after the opportunity arose at Sport Waikato where initially I applied for the vacant sponsorship manager's role. I presented to a group and thought the interview went well, but soon after learnt I didn't get the role. I was told by the appointments committee to go away and come back next Monday and present why I thought I should be Chief Executive. Missing out on the first role was a disappointment but this new potential role was an exciting challenge to even be considered. I was very inexperienced, and Sport Waikato was an outstanding organisation with great people and a strong reputation and legacy built over its 15 years of existence. Suddenly this young recently retired former rugby player in his early 30s had to go and present why he should get the Sport Waikato Chief Executive position ahead of a more seasoned campaigner. They obviously saw potential in me around leadership, the potential that comes with a very strong brand built throughout my decade with Waikato, and they took a punt. It was a mutual agreement that there was work to be done, it wouldn't be easy, and I was arriving in a situation with experienced and good people, but I have always thrived on those sorts of challenges and was ready to embrace them. Soon after starting, our beautiful second child, Grace, arrived in 2002.

Suddenly this young recently retired former rugby player in his early 30s had to go and present why he should get the Sport Waikato Chief Executive position ahead of a more seasoned campaigner. They obviously saw potential in me around leadership, the potential that comes with a very strong brand built throughout my decade with Waikato, and they took a punt.

Q: Why Sport Waikato? What made Sport Waikato resonate so deeply with you?

A: You've got to be true to what your values are, and you've got to be true to who you are. I was testing myself around my interest of committing to the liquor trade all my life and where my value set was best utilised. I loved the connection around the Lion brand but kept coming back to what has been the catalyst to my success in life and I just kept coming back to sport and recreation. Why don't I look at that as a career option? The leadership component, the ‘why’ and competitive opportunity to strive on getting people moving as your employment. That's where I got really fascinated by Sport Waikato. Probably more the vision behind the organisation, which is basically everyone out there and active, and having a role along like-mind people trying to get the Waikato moving strongly resonated with me. Why shouldn't I have a go? I decided to stay in the Waikato, not to go overseas and instead capitalise on my own personal brand. The thought of an association with sport at the community level, with young kids, with adults, not just sport but recreation, to get people moving and being in a structure just really inspired me. I loved the regional focus of this organisation the breadth that it covered. The people involved back then were tremendously skilled and very credible doing great things. It had well established relationships with local government, with Trust Waikato, it was connected to Sport New Zealand. It had connections with the regional sports organisations, not only Waikato Rugby, but Waikato hockey and Waikato badminton. It fitted who I was, and the DNA of Sport Waikato and Matthew Cooper felt right and felt very complimentary.

You've got to be true to what your values are, and you've got to be true to who you are.

Q: And then most recently, you became the President of NZ Rugby. How did that role come about?

A: The total term is 4 years which begins with the vice president role, which is a two-year term, and then you become president for the following two years. The decision for vice president is broken into three zones in New Zealand to ensure that the roles will always feature representation from across the nation. It was the northern region's turn, and this zone decided to test my interest. That initially came as a real shock and real honour to even be considered. That led to my nomination being tabled by Waikato Rugby and seconded by Auckland Rugby at the 2022 NZ Rugby AGM to be voted on by all members. The voting members were from the 26 New Zealand Provincial Unions and the NZ Maori Rugby Board. It was an absolute honour to be announced as the vice president of NZ Rugby in May 2022.

The president and vice president roles have expectations around engaging with internal and external stakeholders in a way that is consistent with the vision and values of NZ Rugby. We often become the face of NZ Rugby in the public arena and are therefore responsible for maintaining the highest public image. Our influence, focus and presence aligns to both our heartland domestic game and international partner unions.

I see our roles as the bridge between “grassroots” rugby and the boardroom and we therefore play a key part in influencing the development and execution of the strategy across the NZ Rugby ecosystem. With 11 months to run in my tenure; this has been a life experience I will never forget and one that I am extremely humbled and grateful to have this opportunity.

Sport Waikato board were fantastic about the role and said, "Well, Matthew, this is certainly an honour for you, but it's also in a way a positive for us". Whether in the boardroom, or with stakeholders in the game domestically and internationally, this has been an outstanding professional learning opportunity personally where I believe by default has also enhanced the connections, awareness and the brand of Sport Waikato.

Matthew and New Zealand Rugby Vice-President, Erin Rush

Q: Looking back on your career, what are the key decisions or moments that significantly shaped your path to success?

A: Firstly, every juncture in the Sport Waikato evolution and the mahi involved was the right thing to do at that moment in time. However, organisations, particularly charitable organisations, must define its purpose, it’s “why” and the lane it must play in. We've had various moments in our 39-year legacy at Sport Waikato where we've tested what our legacy is as an organisation. You must be genuine and authentic during this process. Being genuine and authentic and being true to your “why” can also be tough when it comes to leadership because you must make decisions based on relevance, based on tomorrow and based on the economic climate to ensure that we are fit for purpose. It can never be personal or individual, it always must be what’s best for the organisation.

Being genuine and authentic and being true to your “why” can also be tough when it comes to leadership because you must make decisions based on relevance, based on tomorrow and based on the economic climate to ensure that we are fit for purpose. It can never be personal or individual, it always must be what’s best for the organisation.

We have been an organisation that was significantly bigger than what it is today. Prior to a transformation and change in 2020, we were an organisation that was focused on doing lots of different types of mahi, predominantly delivery that was expensive to run and we became quite confused. We were trying to cover the whole of the region. We started to challenge the Board around current “business as usual” versus impact.

That led us to a lot of work around trying to understand and define what our ‘why’ is especially in regard to our mahi and delivery. There are many organisations across our region that are into delivery; they’re very good at delivery, like our schools, Waikato Rugby Union, Youthtown, Te Kohao Health, but what’s that one organisation that could be the real key regional influencer in the play, active recreation and sport sector? So, if you are going to go down that lane you have to secure the right people.

That was our moment where we said we need to change in 2020. We became an organisation that influences the decision makers and influences the system. Sport Waikato does not deliver; it will work with quality deliverers. That enabled us to be clear about what the structure should look like. We were around 80 odd staff, and by the time we went through the restructure, we came down to 34 staff. To do that, I was looking at pitching our organisation as one that had a really strong skill set, what I refer to now as subject matter experts and we pay them accordingly. Our philosophy was leaner to get stronger and there was real clarity about our lane that we play in. I believe now it was definitely the right move. Was it easy? No, because we had to let go of really good people. They were doing what they were tasked to do, and they were doing a really good job, but we had to disrupt, we had to shift.

Our philosophy was leaner to get stronger and there was real clarity about our lane that we play in. I believe now it was definitely the right move. Was it easy? No, because we had to let go of really good people. They were doing what they were tasked to do, and they were doing a really good job, but we had to disrupt, we had to shift.

I think Sport Waikato was brave to go through one of the biggest transformations in New Zealand’s sport and recreation history. I had great support from the board and good people around me in my leadership group. That transformation has put us in good stead now and Sport Waikato is now in really good shape to succeed during these current bumpy times because it's clear about what its focus is and has a far more streamlined, leaner model. That was defining for me.

Q: Would you say that restructure in 2020 was the most challenging time in your business career?

A: It certainly was, but as I reflect a few years on, we were super prepared to clearly communicate our rationale for change both internally and externally and you couldn’t fault our change process. The decision must always be based on what's best for Sport Waikato. I think many more organisations should forensically look deep inside that current blueprint to ensure relevance. It takes courage. However, once you are very clear about what your why is, you have genuinely consulted and listened to your people, you’ve sense tested it with stakeholders, the process and rationale for change becomes quite straightforward. I'd be concerned now if we hadn't have gone through change, particularly in the current environment through and post Covid 19.

Once you are very clear about what your why is, you have genuinely consulted and listened to your people, you’ve sense tested it with stakeholders, the process and rationale for change becomes quite straightforward.

Q: What do you think is the main thing that has enabled you to succeed in different industries?

A: Just being Matthew Cooper. I say hi to every staff member every morning. I'm a big believer in looking after our people. One thing that we're really big on is that it's not just about working at Sport Waikato; it's how staff feel valued and supported. Looking after your people is probably my number one leadership trait. I will always be really genuine with my people. I will always be true, and I will not hide things from them. I'm big on getting the right skill set - surrounding yourself with quality people and rewarding them appropriately. That’s leadership! If you've got complimentary leadership, life's enjoyable and it's fun. We know where the strengths are, we also know where the weaknesses are, and we plug them. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses are important to build a strong team.

I'm big on getting the right skill set - surrounding yourself with quality people and rewarding them appropriately. That’s leadership! If you've got complimentary leadership, life's enjoyable and it's fun.

We are blessed in the Waikato region to be the home of Kiingitanga under the Tainui Waka. We genuinely embrace Tikanga and Te Aao Maori principles at Sport Waikato where we are determined to make day one for a new staff member be the best first day they've ever had. We always offer the new staff member a mihi whakatau and every staff member will then offer their pepeha - their personal story of where they were from and what they do. That's all about embedding that you're not alone on day one. You're part of our family now, our home is now your home. We've got your back, and we're going to have fun and be focused to get our region the most active in New Zealand. That sort of philosophy has stayed inside me. Mum and Dad can take credit for that too.

Sometimes the best part of leadership is shutting up, listening and just being there. Being visible and present is important. A very underrated word and equally the most powerful question is why? Just asking ‘why’ can be incredibly powerful for both your understanding and for the person you’ve asked to enable them to be super clear on what they’re doing and how they can improve.

A very underrated word and equally the most powerful question is why? Just asking ‘why’ can be incredibly powerful for both your understanding and for the person you’ve asked to enable them to be super clear on what they’re doing and how they can improve.

You need to be resilient and adaptable as things don't go right all the time. As a leader always have your vision and purpose on standby to ensure your people stay in the right lane! Fortunately, being dropped from the All Blacks, you learn to be resilient. There are aspects which I bring through still today that came through when I played the game such as disappointments. Disappointments only last for a little while. They go quickly, and then all of a sudden, next week, there's another high. I've always maintained that whatever happens in life, it'll work itself out. Things are rarely terminal in business; there is always another opportunity around the corner!

You need to be resilient and adaptable as things don't go right all the time. As a leader always have your vision and purpose on standby to ensure your people stay in the right lane!

Q: What advice would you give to athletes transitioning post sport?

A: There are so many parallels between sport and business, and the high-performance mindset is transferable.

Preparation - Your ability to prepare well and putting that extra work in.

Team culture, collaboration, partnerships - Think about what that was like in your sporting career.

Resilience and adaptability - In sport, you must be resilient and adaptable. You go into business, this is what you're wanting, but you might have to adapt. Use those attributes that you had over your sporting career to show that, okay, that's what I wanted, but I've got to adapt here. I'm feeling a bit uncomfortable but that will bring out your resilience.

Leading by example – Leadership isn’t about words. I have the philosophy at work, “clean the sheds”, and it goes back from the days of Richie McCaw and Conrad Smith when they would sweep the sheds after a Test Match – the All Blacks still do. It’s a philosophy about leading by example so of course, I'm in there, I'm carrying the chairs. That mindset makes you stronger.

I have the philosophy at work, “clean the sheds”, and it goes back from the days of Richie McCaw and Conrad Smith when they would sweep the sheds after a Test Match – the All Blacks still do.

I refer back to the sport that has been so good to me. Rugby wasn’t just about winning; it's had a bigger part to play in my journey. I hope that people see me as a person that they can aspire to be and if that in turn means some form of legacy from what I'm doing now, hopefully that's a good thing. Be who you are, be passionate, be present.

Matthew with All Blacks head coach Scott Razor Robertson

Q: Having been (and still are) in multiple roles with significant responsibility, how do you how do you deal with stress and pressure, and have you have you gotten better at dealing with it over time?

A: I think so. I was a very late student and one of the turning points for me was the then Jo Bailey, who was then CEO of Waikato Institute of Leisure and Sport Studies told me it's time for you to get a qualification. She presented me with the application for postgraduate in Management Studies at the University of Waikato Management School (which she had filled out barring my signature). I'll never forget Jo for what she did because she knew it was time for me to get under pressure and learn. I'll equally never forget the class of those two years; there were the most amazing people from all walks of life who were all working jobs as well - brilliant people and great sounding boards. It was uncomfortable but it was a safe uncomfortable. Some papers were better than others, some I battled with. The diploma certainly was a form of pressure, but I remembered through sport that I don't mind pressure. Sometimes I go back to that sporting stage when dealing with a problem in this course or business and remind myself about being at Eden Park in front of 50,000 people, 40m out with a penalty to beat Auckland. Back your process, back your technique Coops. That mentality back then can easily be and has been applied to my journey in the business world.

Sometimes I go back to that sporting stage when dealing with a problem in this course or business and remind myself about being at Eden Park in front of 50,000 people, 40m out with a penalty to beat Auckland. Back your process, back your technique Coops. That mentality back then can easily be and has been applied to my journey in the business world.

Work life balance is another mechanism. It’s hard to be Chief Executive at Sport Waikato and not practice what you preach! I like to climb the 1,349 Hakarimata steps by Ngaruawahia, go to gym or walk most mornings with my wife Kathryn and our two dogs Edward and Albert. Fortunately, for me, our product at Sport Waikato is a means to declutter.

Q: What are your thoughts on OEs (overseas experience)? I imagine you didn't do one, but you did a lot of travel. What advice would you give to people reading this who are thinking about it?

A: I don’t know if I’d just go purely for recreation, but I never did an OE as I was straight into first class rugby with Hawkes Bay as an 18-year-old. If I did, I think I would have some purpose behind it. Is there any way that I could enhance who I am or enhance my CV while overseas? It could mean that while you're over there, you could create a connection, and it might be in a voluntary way. Is there any way I can enhance my profile whilst away and line up something that I'm passionate about. If you're good at connecting, you’re good at relationships, and you put yourself out there, you’ll be in good stead.

If you're good at connecting, you’re good at relationships, and you put yourself out there, you’ll be in good stead.

It is important that people stay connected with possibilities back home if they intend on coming back. Maybe 6 months out, you could start reaching out to people and say, "Look, I'm coming back, I'd love to have a catch up".

Personally, I always have a coffee with somebody who comes over and says, "Look, I've just come back, I've been overseas, or I've just finished. Can I have a coffee with you?" I come down and have a coffee with them and give them just a bit of help such as helping them refine their CV.

Q: Personal brand and network are quite important to you, isn't it?

A: I’m a strong believer in it and we talk about my strengths; I think my team would agree that they see a real benefit in giving me the information and then I go and present and open the door. A huge part of who I am is about relationships and engagement. Where do we best utilise Matthew Cooper’s brand alongside Sport Waikato’s brand?

Don't go to the first meeting expecting to get the deal done straight away. One of the key things I'd say is first connection is about the relationship; it's not about the sale. The sale can come later. First meeting is about building that rapport. This is who I am. Can I come and see you? Get to know who they are, what they do, I've read your website. I think that's really important when you start in business. You want to build a genuine relationship. You don't want a transactional relationship.

One of the key things I'd say is first connection is about the relationship; it's not about the sale. The sale can come later.

Q: What advice would you give to the younger generation who aspire to climb the corporate ladder?

A: Understand what your strengths are. Be honest, be genuine, stay true to who you are. Have a strong understanding of today’s world and really get under the word innovation. What does innovation look like? Because the world needs innovative solutions. We need to innovate especially digitally. Be community minded. Be aspirational but be realistic and patient in terms of your journey.

Understand what your strengths are. Be honest, be genuine, stay true to who you are. Have a strong understanding of today’s world and really get under the word innovation. What does innovation look like? Because the world needs innovative solutions. We need to innovate especially digitally. Be community minded. Be aspirational but be realistic and patient in terms of your journey.

Common core values will also put you in good shape. I talk about being engaging, be empathetic, be truthful, and be honest and trusting. All those key things come through in life that will hold you in good stead. You'll see I'm quite a strong values-based leader. I surround myself with good people, and then once I've got the right people then I'm very open to change because I know that what will present itself will always be in the best interest of the organisation and whatever we do in terms of my leadership, it had all be done authentically. Even in 2020 when we went through change, which we all have to go through in life, you can go through tough change and you can do it with respect, and we did. While not everyone agreed with it, our leadership team and board did it in a way that was done for the right cause and with respect for every individual.

From an aspirational point of view, be really clear and surround yourself with good people. Be open to change because there is no way that you can lead without going through change. Change is not a daunting aspect of leadership because if you follow the right process, it can actually be really exciting.

Q: Some of the readers are a few years into their career and are starting to think about their financial futures. Do you have any advice or wisdom that you could offer them?

A: It's interesting, isn't it? I feel a lot for the younger generation because, like many parents, my mum and dad said, "Get your house". My first house cost $145,000. It was three bedrooms and it’s probably worth about $700,000 now. It's a different world.

You probably still need to get that itch out of going overseas, especially if you've done the hard yards of study, but I did highlight the importance of actually just doing a little bit of work thinking about what's going to happen when you get back. Understand the financial world, what’s your plan? Maybe having a goal that once you've got your OE etc out of the way that you have something that you can really target such as an investment property. It could be the catalyst that keeps you motivated.

Understand the financial world, what’s your plan? Maybe having a goal that once you've got your OE etc out of the way that you have something that you can really target such as an investment property. It could be the catalyst that keeps you motivated.

Q: What advice would you give to your younger self?

A: I honestly don’t believe I would have changed the script. Just be Matthew Cooper and live those core values that my beautiful late Mum instilled in me such as the old line of treat people how you want to be treated will always hold true. If you do that and you're respectful, good things will happen. If you spend time being focused on positive outlook, positive engagement, the right things come at whatever level that is. I always like your Dad when I see him because he's always glass half-full. He chooses that behaviour and its his choice. That's the advice I think I give people is it's your choice and you drive your attitude, don't let somebody else drive it.

It's your choice and you drive your attitude, don't let somebody else drive it.

Q: If neither time nor resources were a constraint, what ultimate goal or dream would you have pursued?

A: This movie or series is playing out exactly how I would have hoped. I probably couldn't have written a better role for myself, and I think my longevity is a testament to that. Growing up in Hawkes Bay in the 70s and the 80s, then moving to the Waikato to have 10 amazing years with the Waikato Rugby Team, establishing my beautiful family and always in the background having this unbridled passion and love for sport and recreation. Did I say I wanted to be the Sport Waikato CEO? Never thought of that while in playing mode but now in my 24th year as Chief Executive at Sport Waikato, I can quite confidently say, I’m pretty happy about where it's landed! To have the mandate alongside my outstanding passionate staff and board to have the ability to influence people's lives through the power of activity and movement is something that I never take for granted.

“…Mahia te mahi hei painga mo te iwi | We do the work for the betterment of the people…”- Te Puea Herangi

Matthew outside Sport Waikato’s office

About Sport Waikato

Sport Waikato is a regional organisation dedicated to inspiring and supporting active lifestyles across the Waikato region. Through innovative programmes, community partnerships, and advocacy, Sport Waikato empowers people of all ages to participate in sport and physical activity, fostering healthier, more connected communities.

Read more here: https://www.sportwaikato.org.nz/

Matthew’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewcoopernz/