Farah Palmer

Dame Farah Rangikoepa Palmer DNZM (born 27 November 1972) is a professor at Massey University and a former captain of New Zealand's women's rugby union team, the Black Ferns.

Dame Farah Palmer

DNZM
Palmer in 2023
Born
Farah Rangikoepa Palmer

(1972-11-27) 27 November 1972
Te Kūiti, New Zealand
Academic background
EducationPiopio College
Alma materUniversity of Otago
ThesisMaori girls, power, physical education, sport, and play: "being hungus, hori, and hoha" (2000)
Academic work
DisciplineSport management
InstitutionsMassey University
Height1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)
Weight69 kg (152 lb)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Hooker
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
– Otago University ()
– Waikato University ()
– Alhambra Union RFC ()
– Kia Toa RFC ()
Provincial / State sides
Years Team Apps (Points)
1992–96, 1998–2000 Otago ()
1997 Waikato ()
2001–2006 Manawatu ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1996–2006 New Zealand 35 (25)
Medal record
Representing  New Zealand
Women's rugby union
Rugby World Cup
Gold medal – first place1998 NetherlandsTeam competition
Gold medal – first place2002 SpainTeam competition
Gold medal – first place2006 CanadaTeam competition

Youth and early career

Palmer was born in Te Kūiti, New Zealand, and raised in Piopio. While at primary and secondary school, Palmer played netball competitively, and also participated in athletics, swimming, tennis, and cross-country.[1] Although she had played rugby socially before, Palmer started playing regularly after she moved to Otago University to study physical education.[2] She joined the University club in 1992 and that year played her first match for Otago. By 1994 she was playing regularly for Otago.[1] Originally a prop, she changed to hooker.[3]

National team

Palmer first played for New Zealand on 31 August 1996 against Australia in Sydney—a match won 28–5.[1] That year she was also appointed Otago captain, and became the captain of the Black Ferns in 1997 with a 67–0 win over England.

In 1997, Palmer moved temporarily to Hamilton and played for Waikato University club as well as representing Waikato.[1] She moved back to Dunedin in 1998 where she played for Alhambra Union. That year she captained the Black Ferns to victory in the 1998 Women's Rugby World Cup.[1] That year she was awarded Women's Player of the Year by the New Zealand Rugby Union. She completed her PhD in 2000,[4] and in 2001 moved to Palmerston North to take up a position in sports management at Massey University. There she joined the Kia Toa rugby club. Palmer continued to captain the Black Ferns and led them to a second World Championship in 2002.[1]

In 2005, she missed her first match for the Black Ferns since 1996 due to injury.[1] That year she was awarded International Women's Personality of the Year by the International Rugby Board (IRB).[5] Representing Manawatu, she helped them earn promotion to the national women's championship in 2006, and that year captained the Black Ferns in her third World Cup. After defeating England 25–17 in the final of the 2006 World Cup Palmer announced her retirement from playing.[1] During her time as captain the Black Ferns lost only once, and her 35 Tests for the Black Ferns is the second only to Anna Richards' 49.

Recognition

Palmer was one of six women inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame on 17 November 2014.[6][7] In 2016, the Women's Provincial Championship was renamed the Farah Palmer Cup in her honour.

In 2016, she was awarded the Manawatu Standard Person of the Year award and was the first woman to win the award. Also in 2016, she was the first woman to be appointed to the board of New Zealand Rugby.[8]

In 2018, Palmer won the Board and Management Award of the 2018 Women of Influence Awards.[9] In 2022, she was awarded the Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service.[10][11]

In the 2023 New Year Honours, Palmer was promoted to Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to sport, particularly rugby.[12][13]

Academic career

In 2014, she conducted research to examine how leadership and culture affect success at rugby.[14]

References
  1. Akers, Clive. "F. R. Palmer". rugbymuseum.co.nz. Archived from the original on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2008.
  2. Howe, Jonathon. "The world-winning ways of Farah Palmer". taiohi.co.nz. Archived from the original on 14 October 2008. Retrieved 13 April 2008.
  4. Palmer, Farah (2000). Māori girls, power, physical education, sport, and play : "being hungus, hori, and hoha" (Doctoral thesis). OUR Archive, University of Otago. hdl:10523/156.
  5. "Dr Farah Palmer (Lecturer)". sport-management-and-coaching.massey.ac.nz. Archived from the original on 14 October 2008. Retrieved 13 April 2008.
  6. World Rugby (10 November 2014). "2014 inductee – Farah Palmer". Retrieved 6 January 2015.
  7. allblacks.com (19 November 2014). "Former Black Ferns Richards and Palmer inducted into Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on 25 October 2018. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  8. "Why women must lean into the sports board table". Newsroom. 29 November 2019. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  9. "Women of Influence awards". Stuff. 18 September 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  10. "Josh van der Flier and Ruahei Demant named World Rugby Players of the Year 2022". www.world.rugby. 20 November 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  11. "Ruahei Demant, Wayne Smith, Ruby Tui big winners at glittering rugby awards". 1 News. 21 November 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  12. "New Year honours list 2023". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 31 December 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  13. "Dr Farah Palmer honoured with Damehood". allblacks.com. 31 December 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  14. Manawatu Standard, 19 May 2014, Ex-Black Fern to research our women's rugby success, Accessed 1 June 2014
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