Touch NZ has just been notified that the Federation of International Touch (FIT) Board have confirmed the appointments of Darrin Sykes and Stu MacDonald as FIT  Referee Commission Members effective immediately through to the 2019 FIT World Cup.  Congratulations to both Darrin and Stu.

The full FIT  Referee Commission Members are:

 The FIT  Referee Commission Chair is Ian Matthew from Australia.

Darrin Sykes

Darrin's Touch background as a referee and administrator is extensive. He was a nationally ranked referee from 1991 to 1995. He refereed at the 1991 World Cup in Auckland and refereed the 35 Men World Cup final. He was a co opted member and later full member of the Touch NZ National Referees Panel and has been involved in drafting and redrafting curricula in the Referees levels program.  In November 2004 he was appointed to the Touch NZ Referees Advisory Panel and he was appointed Chair of the Touch NZ Referees Advisory Panel in 2007 and reappointed again in 2008.  Darrin was appointed at Touch NZ National Director of Referees in 2011. 

In March 1999 he was appointed to the FIT Referee Panel for the 1999 World Cup in Sydney and has remained a member of the FIT Panel since that appointment.  In February 2010 Darrin was appointed as Chair of the Federation of International Touch Playing Rules Review Committee leading a technical review of the FIT Playing Rules.

Darrin was elected to the Touch NZ Board of Directors in 1991 and has served consecutive terms through to the present day which makes him the longest serving Touch NZ Director in Touch NZ's history. Darrin has served two terms as Chair of the Touch NZ Board of Directors from 1994 to 1996 and again from September 2003 to October 2005.  Darrin was elected as Deputy Chair of the Touch NZ Board of Directors in December 2007.  Darrin also chairs the Touch NZ Judicial, Legal and Constitution Board Committee and the Touch NZ Awards Committee.  Darrin led the reform of Touch NZ Governance structures, processes and procedures in the 2003/04 year.

Darrin received a Touch NZ National Service Award in 1998 for services to Touch NZ at a national level in the areas of referees development and governance.  Darrin received a Touch NZ Distinguished Service Award in June 2008 for his outstanding service to touch.  Darrin was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2013 Queen’s Birthday Honours for his services to touch rugby administration.

Darrin is a Government appointed Board Member of the Capital and Coast District Health Board appointed in 2010; was appointed a Trustee of Sport Wellington in 2011; and appointed by the Government to the Sport NZ Board in August 2013.  Darrin's tribal affiliations are Ngāti Rangitihi and Ngāti Awa.

Stu McDonald

Stu was a National Referee from 1999 attending his first Touch NZ National Tournament in Palmerston North and he retired after the 2005 Touch NZ All Nations Championships held in Christchurch where he refereed one of the Finals. He was upgraded to a black badge Referee at the 2005 Touch NZ Youth/Open Championships. Stu has been a Touch NZ Regional Director of Referees for Region 2 for a number of years. Stu refereed in a number of Finals at Touch NZ National Championships between 2002-2005. Stu was appointed to the Touch NZ National Referee Coaching Panel in early 2006.

Stu received a Touch NZ Referee Award in March 2017 for his contribution to referee development at Touch NZ, Provincial and  local levels.