The 60-year-old announced his decision to step down today, ending a remarkable reign unlikely to be repeated in sevens rugby or any other international sport.
Tietjens played a pivotal role in growing the profile of sevens in New Zealand and around the world that culminated in the sport's first appearance at an Olympic Games in Rio last month.
His New Zealand teams won four Commonwealth Games gold medals, two Rugby World Cup Sevens titles and 12 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.
But the ultimate prize of an Olympic medal eluded the first sevens coach to be knighted and inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame.
Tietjens says in the last year the Olympics was his major driving force.
"That was the pinnacle of my career. I was certainly going to consider retiring after then. I had probably done my time and it was time for someone else to come through," he said.
"I never expected it to last as long as it has. If you had told me in 1994 I would still be coaching in 2016 I would have thought you were mad.
"It has been a great, great journey obviously with a lot of success along the way and a lot of great, enjoyable times.''