Moana Pasifika captain Miracle Fai’ilagi and head coach Tana Umaga with Kevin Senio.
Photo: Brett Phibbs / www.photosport.nz
A new bid to rescue Moana Pasifika has emerged, with a consortium led by a Los Angeles-based tech multimillionaire exploring plans to relocate the Super Rugby franchise to Hawaii, RNZ understands.
The proposal has emerged just days after shareholders voted to appoint liquidators to the team’s holding company. Moana Pasifika ended its season with a 21-19 win over the Brumbies on Saturday night, in what many feared could have been the club’s final match.
RNZ understands the Hawaii-based proposal is separate from the Kanaloa Rugby bid, which has been linked to previous efforts to secure Moana Pasifika’s future.
Instead, the bid is being spearheaded by what sources have described as a Los Angeles-based tech multimillionaire with Pasifika heritage who attended Stanford University in California.
Hawaii is believed to be a leading option for the team’s future base due to its favourable time difference to New Zealand (22 hours behind), Australia and the Pacific Islands for broadcasting matches.
That means a 9pm kickoff in Hawaii would be a 7pm kickoff in New Zealand.
Hawaii is also viewed as an attractive market as there are no professional teams in any of the major US sports leagues – NFL, NBA, NHL or MLB – in the state. However Hawaii does have a strong and well supported NCAA Division 1 american football team, the University of Hawaii’s Rainbow Warriors, that could compete with Moana Pasifika for fans.
Moana Pasifika captain Miracle Faiilagi with Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa after the side’s loss to the Reds in its final home game.
Photo: Brett Phibbs / www.photosport.nz
The proposal could also benefit from plans to build a new stadium in Honolulu on the site of the former Aloha Stadium, which would potentially become the franchise’s home ground.
The Hawaiian consortium is understood to be one of several proposals being explored as stakeholders work to secure the franchise’s future.
Last week Foreign Minister Winston Peters hinted there was “good news” on the horizon in regards to Moana Pasifika’s future. He would not provide any further details at the time, saying only that people will “have to wait”.
Since then, Peters has has told Pacific leaders New Zealand is exploring all possible options to secure a financially sustainable future for Moana Pasifika.
He said the government had instructed officials to work with New Zealand Rugby and other stakeholders to explore options to keep the franchise alive.
New Zealand Rugby has also confirmed there remains interest from several parties in securing Moana Pasifika’s future, although it has not disclosed their identities.
RNZ understands Peters has been in discussions with the Samoan and Tongan governments about possible support options, including suggestions funding could be bolstered through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s (MFAT) Pacific aid programme.
It is also understood the Australian government could contribute through its sports diplomacy fund.
It’s unlikely there will be any direct funding from the New Zealand government, given it’s already owed $2.75 million by Moana Pasifika from a loan provided to help underwrite the team’s establishment in 2022.
Sport and Recreation minister Mark Mitchell has said the government is seeking advice on how to recover the money.
Despite the optimism surrounding the Hawaiian proposal, RNZ understands the consortium still faces several significant hurdles.
One challenge is securing an airline partnership to help manage the substantial travel requirements associated with operating a Super Rugby team from Hawaii.
Moana Pasifika fans ahead of the team’s final home game.
Photo: RNZ/Coco Lance
The consortium must also demonstrate the venture is commercially viable. It is understood a financial feasibility study is currently underway to determine whether the proposed business model can work.
That may prove the biggest obstacle facing the prospective new owners.
Before Moana Pasifika’s final game on Saturday, coach Tana Umaga said whether or not the franchise survives until next season, the legacy the team has created will remain.
“The legacy is what we’ve left behind. You’ve seen the support of our Pacific people. We have a good vibe and I think that’s encouraging,” Umaga said.
“We’ll always have our supporters that support us through our family and our culture.
“Everything that we did through our club and what we tried to portray was we were unapologetically Pacific and some people really resonated with that and enjoyed that. And that’s just us being us.”
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