With consultation on the Integrity Code underway, we sat down to chat with some legends and leaders from the sporting world – all of whom happen to be board members here at the Sport Integrity Commission Te Kahu Raunui. 

In this post, we chat to Lyndon Bray, whose illustrious career within rugby has seen him excel on the field as a leading international referee, as a manager in his roles for NZ Rugby Union and SANZAR (South Africa, New Zealand, Australia Rugby), and in the boardroom as CEO of Tasman Rugby. 

I grew up in the ‘70s and early ‘80s. Back in those days, when you had no mobile phones and no internet, sport was a major part of family and community life. My mother was a ballet teacher and my father was massively into sport. I did it all: rugby, cricket, ballet – you name it. 

I understood my sexuality very early on, from around 12 years old. Growing up, sport gave me a huge sense of who I was and a deep sense of belonging. That remains true for me now - sport has been a very significant part of my life throughout my adult years. I’ve been a referee at amateur and professional level, and I’ve held roles within the sport sector all the way up to CEO.   

As a gay man, I’m very well aware of how people can be treated in sport and recreation, and that it goes far beyond sexuality. I identify strongly with those who may be termed ‘minority groups’ who experience prejudice and biased views in their sporting environments. It’s not always the fault of a sporting organisation, and presents a big challenge – especially for those larger organisations. They may have an internal culture that’s extremely supportive, such as I’ve experienced in rugby, but that isn’t necessarily reflected out on the field. Sport reflects society, after all, and if biases exist in society then you’ll find them in sport. How sports respond to these kinds of incidents, though, is so important. 

Having an independent body for investigations, decisions and reviews will, I expect, be met with relief by a lot of sports. I think they’ll be glad to have the Commission to help them deal with issues. It brings a fully independent perspective to investigations and decisions, and individuals need an independent body they can go to for situations when they wouldn’t necessarily go through their sport.  

In rugby, for example, it can be very hard for a female player to choose to complain to a national body and expect that they’re going to get an excellent resolution from that. Having an independent body takes the pressure off the complainant and the organisation when resolution can’t be reached. 

Just as important is the protection of youth and young people. When I think of my own experiences, I’m very aware that you’re just not in a position to be mature and handle difficult situations at a young age. So, the ability to go to an independent body relieves a lot of the pressure if you’ve experienced something that you decide needs to be dealt with. 

Over the years, sport has exploded in its capability to be attractive to diverse peoples. We’ve got men involved at all levels of netball, and women’s rugby has blossomed to a level that many in the early ‘90s wouldn’t have imagined. That means growth for organisations as they open up their governance, leadership and operational structures to reflect societal changes. That hasn’t been an easy journey. 

What’s important to me is that the Commission highlights the protection of individuals alongside things like anti-doping and anti-corruption. We need people to be respected and included, and that’s why it’s so important that the Integrity Code represents the range of people operating in today’s sport and recreation environments.