Football’s national body will decide on a new president at their annual congress on Thursday, and begin a new era of governance with fewer board members and different ways of appointing them.
Dr Johanna Wood, CNZM, steps down from her role as NZ Football president when her current term finishes at the April 23 congress in Wellington.
Her departure will bring to a close a seven-year term in the position and eight years on the NZF executive committee.
Her replacement and the vice president’s role will become two-year appointments, rather than four-year terms, following changes approved at an extraordinary congress held last September.
Other changes include reducing the executive committee from 10 members to no more than nine.
Effective this year, all executive committee positions will be fully appointed. NZ Football say appointments will be aligned to “a new skills matrix to ensure all aspects of the game are represented in order to further grow and develop Aotearoa’s largest team participation sport.”
Appointments will be recommended by NZF’s governance appointment panel, comprising representatives from the executive committee, voting members, and a Sport New Zealand-appointed representative.
Current executive committee members will retire at the end of their four-year terms, with new appointments recommended by the governance appointment panel.
Retiring executive committee members may reapply, provided they have not already served the maximum three terms.
Dr Johanna Wood … steps down after seven years as NZ Football’s president.
First elected in 2018, Wood became the first female president of the New Zealand Football executive committee in 2019 and oversaw a period of major change and growth for the organisation.
During her tenure, participation has grown to more than 180,000 players, making football and futsal the number one team participation sport in the country.
The professional game has also prospered, from one professional side in 2018 to five in 2026, transforming opportunities for the best Kiwi talent.
Wood played a critical role in Aotearoa New Zealand’s bid to first win the right to co-host, and then deliver, the biggest-ever FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023, as well as overseeing legacy projects from the tournament that have seen girls’ and women’s football grow by 35% since before the event.
First elected to football governance in 2010 as chair of Central Football Federation, Wood became the first New Zealander to join the FIFA Council in 2019, a role she will continue till the end of its current term in 2027.
Wood was awarded the Sport New Zealand Leadership Award at the Halberg Awards in 2021 and was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to football in the 2024 New Year Honours.
This story was first published on April 22, 2026.