Hayden Meikle: When did you join the Otago Rugby Football Union?
Richard Perkins: I was appointed in November 2001, so my first full season was 2002.
HM: What had you been doing before that?
RP: I worked for a Government agency called Land Information New Zealand, formerly the Land Registry Office. I was an assistant land registrar. Worked there 23 years.
HM: Was it just time for a change?
RP: I'd seen the ORFU job advertised. Club liaison officer. My ears pricked up. I was involved with the Dunedin club at the time and had done a lot of the tasks that I saw that position required. I was passionate about rugby and thought I could do the job.
HM: Are you happy you made that decision?
RP: 100% yes. It was a great opportunity.
HM: Was the ORFU a vastly different beast in 2001?
RP: It certainly was. I'd come from a very structured Government office and went into a business that was still quite amateur, really. I was helping Steve Martin, the rugby manager. My job was working with the clubs and the schools. Otago rugby was obviously still operating the Highlanders as well, so there were a lot more people around.
HM: Has your job changed much?
RP: It would be fair to say that, with everything that has gone on over the last couple of years, two or three roles have merged into one. I'm a realist. We've gone from 30-odd staff to about 10. The union can't blow out and start employing people left, right and centre. We've refocused.
HM: Fifteen months ago, the ORFU was nearly in liquidation. Looking back, how difficult was it for you, as an employee?
RP: Where do I start? It was the toughest thing I've been through in my working career. You hear an announcement that your union may not even exist in the future, and it leaves you in a state of shock. It was unthinkable.
HM: Did you think you were going to lose your job?
RP: That was definitely possible. We were advised the union could go under. The saving light for community rugby was the New Zealand Rugby Union. They committed to ensuring rugby continued in Otago at amateur levels. That was a relief, but at the same time you were thinking of colleagues who might be in danger of losing their jobs. And it wasn't settled until very late in the piece, when the rescue package was announced.
HM: Were you tempted to leave?
RP: I could have downed tools and decided to get out. But sometimes you have to ride out a bad patch and work hard to get things back on track.
HM: The image of the union took a fair battering, didn't it?
RP: It did. There was probably more criticism levelled at the decision-makers than someone like me. But it was tough. And it hurt all of us because you just wondered how on earth we got into this mess. The organisation itself got into the situation, and people were entitled to express an opinion about that. But we had to get past it and fix it, thanks to the support of the council and the creditors and the NZRU. We owe them a great deal of gratitude.
HM: How's the mood in the union now?
RP: I think we're coming out the other side. We were at the bottom of the cliff and we can't go any further down. I think the union is now a tight group committed to doing a good job for Otago rugby. It's still a challenge. The wounds were pretty deep and it takes time to stitch them up and heal properly.
HM: What keeps you busy at this time of year?
RP: At the moment, the administration of metropolitan club rugby keeps me extremely busy. I work with some great people out there. The volunteers and the committees are the unheralded people who keep Otago rugby going. I can't be in every place at once so I have to connect with those people. It's when issues escalate and land on my desk that I have to pitch in and supply some guidance.
HM: Do you hate Mondays? Is that when all the problems from Saturday rugby land on your desk?
RP: Mondays include what I call unbudgeted work, yes. The phone goes a bit on Saturday, too. But really, if you count up all the amateur games of rugby happening in Otago on any given Saturday, I'm just amazed at how well they all run. That's down to the volunteers and the coaches and the referees giving up their time.
HM: Best thing about the job?
RP: Meeting folk. I'm a people person. Not long after I started, I went up to Middlemarch and attended a Strath Taieri meeting in their changing room. That was fantastic. Being involved with tests and Otago games are also great fun. And I was very lucky to be a liaison during the World Cup, too.
HM: Worst thing?
RP: The times when people get a bit carried away. The stuff that you don't want to see on the sidelines. Any of that ugly stuff.
HM: Has the behaviour of spectators at club rugby games, and the level of referee abuse, got worse, do you think?
RP: We're still talking about a tiny, tiny percentage of incidents. Thousands of games a year across hundreds of clubs and schools, and the amount of unfortunate behaviour is really minimal. Does it happen? Yes, it does. Nasty stuff does happen sometimes. Full-on abuse is not on, by anyone. Anecdotally, maybe there is slightly more of that sort of stuff. But I think the NZRU is helping us lead the charge to keep everything nice and tidy.
HM: And the referee situation. You're still a bit short?
RP: Yeah, we are. A dozen more would be great. Without referees, we can't have a game. We've had a spell without a referee education officer but we've just appointed one, which is great. I'd love to know what the magic secret is to turning more people, especially former players, into referees.
HM: Has the standard of Dunedin premier rugby improved?
RP: I think we've seen an improvement overall. Look at a club like Taieri, which has come back out of the second division to perform so well. I take my hat off to them. Other clubs are recognising they have to work hard to match them. Some are still struggling for numbers here or there. That's an issue. But I'm happy with what I've seen over the last few years.
HM: Is 10 teams still the right number?
RP: That's a very good question, and a tough one. It's not a decision you can easily make, to seal the numbers or decide to kick a club or two out. But it's something that doesn't go away. We consult with the clubs to review the season. Perhaps natural attrition will lead to the premier division eventually being reduced. Maybe some teams will combine in the future. It's hard to say. It's a huge question and, really, it's up to the clubs.
HM: And, outside your job, your club is still Dunedin?
RP: I have a few allegiances, ha ha. I spent eight great years at West Taieri. And I live in Mosgiel, so the Eels are on to me. But yes, my heart is with Dunedin, although I would never do the club any particular favours through my job. I learned so much from the wise old men at Dunedin like Arnold Manion and Albie Beck and John Dowling. I've got great mates there.
HM: Where did you grow up?
RP: I was born in Ranfurly. My parents were hoteliers at Omakau. Then they moved to Dunedin. I used to go back up to my uncle's farm in the holidays. I went to St Bernadette's and St Edmund's. Then it was decided I would follow my brothers and my father to boarding school in Oamaru.
HM: Waitaki Boys'?
RP: No, St Kevin's. But had great mates at Waitaki. Lot of good memories of school.
HM: First XV?
RP: Some games. But mainly captain of the Second XV. Openside flanker. Then I joined the Dunedin club. Played colts and then what was second grade in those days. There were good loose forwards ahead of me. I played 15 or 20 premier games. I was in the 1986 championship team.
HM: Most people know you as Perky. But your closest mates know you as Ralph. Where does that nickname come from?
RP: That's an old boarding school story. I'm not sure whether we can put that on record or not.
HM: Finally, are you picking a Highlanders win tonight?
RP: I'm sure they will beat the Force. They have to. Like them, the Otago union has been to the bottom. You've just got to look at yourself and come out the other side.
