NZ Rugby chief executive Mark Robinson has revealed only about 10 percent of its total funding goes to the women's game.
The Black Ferns clinched their second straight Rugby World Cup title - and sixth ever - beating England in the final 34-31 in front of a sold-out Eden Park.
Their joy, happiness, pride and entertaining brand of rugby have captured Kiwis' hearts, as support has surged for the NZ women during the tournament.
While success on the field during the tournament has been immense, questions remain off it.
Robinson has told AM the vision for the tournament was to "supercharge the women's game globally" and he believes that has happened.
"The momentum the team helped build by virtue of the way they conducted themselves on and off the field has just been incredible, hasn't it?" Robinson told AM co-host Ryan Bridge.
"They've really opened themselves up, and shown the true character and ability they have, and that's really captured the minds and imaginations of people throughout the country.
"We're delighted. I don't know if we ever could have quite believed it would have been as amazing as it has."
Robinson wouldn't comment on whether he regrets not investing in women's rugby earlier, but said he was "excited" for the future.
"I can't comment hugely on the past, it's not my role," he said. "My role is to really focus on making sure that we grab this opportunity to go forward and make the most of everything that lies in front of us at the moment."
Robinson revealed only 10 percent of NZ Rugby's funding goes towards the women's game, but admitted more was needed.
"It would be somewhere, this year, around probably 10 percent all up, that's not including the work I just referred to with our provincial unions," he said.
"But yes, to your point, we are looking at the opportunities I just talked about that will require more investment and we know that we should be making that investment. We're going to be working really hard to grow that investment."
While only 10 percent of funding might be going to the women's game, Robinson said another $40 million lump sum outside of that funding goes into grassroots rugby.
"When I talk about the community game, that is a lump sum payment of around $40 million that goes into the community game that we work with our provincial unions to create plans to invest across the game," he told AM.
With the World Cup done and dusted, attention now turns to what happens next for the women's game and Robinson said the schedule in 2023 for professional women's rugby was "significant".
"Super Rugby Aupiki will be slightly longer than last year," he said. "We're looking at a crossover final series with Australia and the Pacific, and there are opportunities to grow into Japan and North America with that competition in the future.
"Our international series next year will be longer again, with the Laurie O'Reilly Cup and the PAC Four tournament. We're back into playing in North America also and the women's XV tournament at the end of the year, which is a new international tournament."
Spark Sports pundit and former Black Fern Kristina Sue called Robinson out to be the next "men's champion" of the women's game and he said he's "absolutely" up for that challenge.
"We see the opportunity clearly to do more in this space, Said Robinson. "We know we can be better and we know we can make this a hugely exciting opportunity for the entire game, so we're looking forward to it.
"It's an amazing opportunity. We're so grateful for the team and management that have worked so hard around the Black Ferns to give us this opportunity."
NZ Rugby board member and former Black Fern Farah Palmer was all praise for Robinson, saying he was a "champion" of the women's game.
"Mark is a champion and he is a male ally. I sat next to him in the game and he was trying to be very composed, being the CEO, but I could say he was on the edge of his seat and mumbling under his breath a couple of times at some of the decisions," Palmer told AM co-host Bridge.
"He was super passionate and we gave each other a massive hug, because we were both part of that bid that got it back in 2018 and to see it all come to fruition was amazing."
Palmer said the game had come a long way since she helped the Black Ferns win the World Cup in 2002 at Barcelona.
"The women that played in the early 90s, when no one really cared about women's rugby, were playing for different reasons," she said. "We were passionate, we were there for our team.
"We wanted to show women that you could play rugby. It was our job to try and turn people's attitudes, and kind of get a foot in the door.
"There's a picture of me in 2002 kissing the Rugby World Cup in Barcelona in front of empty stands and here we had 42,000 people."
Palmer said NZ Rugby had come a long way in promoting women's rugby, but more could be done.
Watch the full interview with Mark Robinson and Farah Palmer above.
