Moana Pasifika is set to disband at the end of the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season.
Photo: Photosport / RNZ
Moana Pasifika is not the only club facing closure since the Super Rugby Pacific competition kicked off in 2022.
The Melbourne Rebels suffered a similar fate at the end of the 2024 season, which reduced the then-12-team competition to 11.
There are calls for changes to mitigate what many believe is the growing risk of the competition going under.
Last weekend’s New Zealand Rugby (NZR) annual general meeting (AGM) heard all five of New Zealand’s franchises – the Blues, Chiefs, Crusaders, Highlanders, and Hurricanes – were bleeding money in 2025.
Moana Pasifika, which could be called the financially weakest of all the clubs, was doomed to follow the Rebels into oblivion for many reasons.
That reality was announced last month, with funders and current licence holders, the Pasifika Medical Association (PMA), announcing they were backing out because of financial challenges.
This decision comes after extensive consideration of the financial, operational and strategic realities facing the franchise, as well as professional rugby in New Zealand.
Moana Pasifika said on 15 April, that despite the tireless dedication of players, staff, and supporters, it is no longer viable to continue the franchise at this level of competition.
“This is one of the hardest decisions we have ever made. We are immensely proud of our players, staff, and the community who have supported our team over the years,” Moana Pasifika chair Dr Kiki Maoate said.
“Across our rugby, pathways and community programmes, we have been able to support a growing hub of Pacific talent across multiple sporting codes, both locally and in the Pacific region. This is something we are extremely proud of and will continue to support and advocate for as best we can.
“Our commitment now is to ensure a smooth transition for everyone affected and to celebrate our legacy by finishing the season strong.”
The Moana Pasifika Charitable Trust was founded by Savae La’auli Sir Michael Jones KNZM and Tuifa’asisina Sir Bryan Williams KNZM in 2021, with a mission to create the first professional Pacific rugby team.
It is that ‘Trust’ model which is now believed to have been a downfall that has limited the franchise’s ability to secure long-term funding from sponsors.
World Rugby and NZR both stepped in the initial stages, but both organisations have stated publicly they will not do that now, leaving the club and its owners to either stay firm on their decision to close or sell to interested buyers.
Enter Kanaloa Consortium – backed by a number of Pasifika heritage former All Blacks.
Kanaloa’s CEO Tracy Atiga said they have been given until 15 May – tomorrow – to send in their proposal to NZR to save Moana Pasifika for disbanding.
She has also said that part of that NZR agreement is for Kanaloa to get the support of both PMA and the New Zealand Rugby Players Association (NZRPA).
She has been outspoken about what she calls unsupportive stance taken by both the PMA and the NZRPA who had, as she claimed, shown no interest in getting Kanaloa’s proposal or bid supported.
However, both PMA and Moana Pasifika chief executive Debbie Sorensen and NZRPA’s Rob Nichol have stated that Kanaloa should send their proposal to NZR, if they were serious about their bid.
Kanaloa, which was known to many until the revelation that Moana Pasifika was going to close, had initially sent a proposal to PMA’s Sorensen last year but did not get any response, and had also bid for a franchise license in 2020/2021 but were also unsuccessful.
A point of interest: Kanaloa threatened to sue NZR in November 2020, because they claimed the union breached its own rules by granting Moana Pasifika a licence, even though the new franchise did not properly participate in the tender process.
Anyway, NZR has also stated they are open to discuss any proposal that would save Moana Pasifika.
“NZR is open to receiving proposals that present a long-term and sustainable plan for Moana Pasifika,” a NZR spokesman said, adding “that opportunity is available for the next few weeks”.
For Kanaloa that period ends on Friday.
Moana Pasifika players after a game.
Photo: Brett Phibbs / www.photosport.nz
‘The model doesn’t work’
It is going to be telling to see how things play out in the next few days and week.
Media reports in Aotearoa say that reports tabled at the NZR AGM indicate all five of New Zealand’s teams made losses last year and the private equity investors who hold varying stakes in those teams have called for changes, including a possible move to full private ownership.
“When we got involved, we knew the Hurricanes were losing money. The model doesn’t work,” Malcolm Gillies, a co-owner of the Wellington-based Hurricanes, told the Rugby Direct podcast.
“Unless there’s change, it’s not going to work. You’ve got five franchises in New Zealand and none of them are making a lot of money. The whole system has to change.
Gillies believes the competition in its current form is unsustainable.
“If it stays the way it is now, I fear for it. If there’s change then I believe we’ve got a product. But if it doesn’t, I believe it’s going to die. That’s my honest opinion.”
NZR contracts and retains control over Super Rugby Pacific players under the current system.
Full private ownership would follow the England and France situation, where clubs directly contract the players.
Moana Pasifika players basically come under the Pacific Rugby Players (PRP) association, which has stated their ultimate focus is making sure players’ welfare are looked after.
It is their number one job, chairman Valentine Tauamiti told RNZ Pacific this week.
So right now, PRP will request discussions on any proposal they see might fit the bill. Thus, their request to NZR that the Kanaloa bid gets discussed.
While Atiga and Kanaloa have yet to send their proposal through, a number of things needs to be verified:
- How has their management record been? Has Kanaloa successfully managed sports teams to the magnitude of a Super Rugby franchisee in the past?
Records show Kanaloa had tried to get into the Major Rugby League in the USA three years ago also but failed. But Atiga is confident they have the money, the experience and the people to fund and manage Moana Pasifika, fulfilling all the requirements that needs to be met, with international player fees paid out on top of players’ contracts.
- Do they have a viable and sustainable business plan?
The reality on the ground is Super Rugby clubs need more than NZ$15 million to survive annually. And there is no guarantee ticket sales, TV rights and sponsorship endorsements will meet that need annually. Atiga and Kanaloa believe their model will work and ensure financial safety going forward.
- Will Kanaloa be able to have security, or guarantee, that would cover the costs if the franchise folds?
This is a critical factor that would need to be part of any sale agreement. Buyers must prove they have the added security, in the form of a building or assets, that can be used to meet the financial demands, ensuring there are no debts left when a franchise folds. RNZ Pacific understands this is one area both the PRP and the NZRPA demand as being part of any proposal.
RNZ Pacific has been reliably informed that the PMA is selling its Christchurch building, the Maoate House, which is now on the market.
Sorensen has been asked to confirm the sale, but it is believed that is being done as part of the funding agreement when the PMA took up Moana Pasifika.
Moana Pasifika has two more games to go this season, one at home next weekend and the other away in Australia.
Whether those two matches will be their last as a Super Rugby Pacific team – or the start of a revamp – is anyone’s guess right now.
One thing is clear: NZR and the stakeholders involved will need to act fast if Moana Pasifika is to be saved.
