Moana Pasifika team in a huddle after the Super Rugby Pacific – Round 12 match between Moana Pasifika v Blues held at North Harbour Stadium, Auckland – New Zealand – on Saturday 02 May 2026.
Photo credit: Brett Phibbs / www.photosport.nz
Photo: Photosport
A consortium that has the backing of a number of former All Blacks is disappointed that the current Moana Pasifika owners are not willing to discuss their bailout offer.
Kanaloa Consortium, which is trying to buy the licence for the Moana Pasifika rugby franchise, said Pasifika Medical Association (PMA) is not responsive to their requests for discussions about the issue.
Tracy Atiga told RNZ Pacific on Wednesday her efforts to try and get PMA, current licence owners for Moana Pasifika, to discuss their proposal have not been successful.
She said PMA and Moana Pasifika chief executive Debbie Sorensen told her in a brief conversation last week that “it was pointless”.
Atiga said Kanaloa is now trying to get to the PMA directors and Moana Pasifika leadership.
Kanbaloa Rugby CEO Tracy Atiga
Photo: Facebook / Tagata Pasifika
At the same time, she said they need the support of the New Zealand Rugby Players Association (NZRPA), as per the directive of New Zealand Rugby (NZR).
“We have had an offer from New Zealand Rugby to submit a formal proposal to the New Zealand Rugby Board for the licence of Moana Pasifika,” Atiga said.
However, she said there are two conditions that need to be met which are “actually quite challenging”.
“We need to have [an] agreement from PMA, who are the current owners of Moana Pasifika until the end of May. We need their agreement to sign that licence over to our organisation.
“And then the second condition is that they will need the support of New Zealand Rugby Players Association to agree to our business model. So that’s where we’re at, at the moment.”
“Right now, at this moment, there has been zero efforts made from PMA to talk to us.”
Atiga said she had also tried to reach out to former All Black Sir Michael Jones, who was a key player in the setting up of Moana Pasifika, and the PMA organizational leaders.
In a statement to RNZ Pacific on Thursday, Moana Pasifika and PMA chief executive Debbie Sorensen said: “Given NZR’s role as a licence holder, they have provided interested parties the opportunity to submit their proposals.”
Moana Pasifika CEO Debbie Sorensen
Photo: Pasifika Medical Association Group
Atiga said she has also approached community champions to help them to engage “because they’re just not participating”.
“They just don’t want the new generation coming through and proving that we can make this work, a model that should have been done six years ago,” she said.
She said Kanaloa’s model is “almost the same” the Fijian Drua.
“The only difference is that we were going to be paying our players their international playing fees on top of their Super Rugby salary.There’s really nothing else to it.
“Now it’s become quite obvious, and evident in the press, that these groups who were involved in the set up of the franchise are now responsible for its failures. They don’t want someone like Kanaloa coming along and cleaning up their mess, because it’ll make them look like they’re incapable and incompetent.”
She said the model used to establish Moana Pasifika and the people tasked with administering Moana Pasifika have failed.
“They had six years to actually make this work. And now the business model’s failed, and they’re looking for people to come and help.
“We’re there six years later, with the exact same model, the exact same funding and the same leadership crew behind us and operational capacity behind us, and they simply don’t want to look at us, and that now raises concerns.”
Jonathan Taumateine of Moana Pasifika.
Photo: Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz
Players association
On the other side, Kanaloa also has to get the support of the NZRPA.
Atiga said they had reached out to NZRPA’s Rob Nichol “and he was good enough to come back to me in a text message to let me know that we can submit something to New Zealand Rugby and they’ll have a look at it from their end”.
“We requested a meeting with them to talk about what our proposal was moving forward, because they’re so heavily involved with Moana Pasifika.
“They set up that franchise, so they should know, and also they’re the ones that are talking to the players about the fact that there’s no options.
“There’s no one at the table wanting to take over the bid, take over the licence. So, we asked to meet with Rob, and he basically said in a text message that he doesn’t see a point in meeting with us prior to.”
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In a response sent to RNZ Pacific, Nichol said they have not seen any proposal from Kanaloa.
“We understand that Tracy Atiga and/or Kanaloa were in discussions with PMA, and perhaps NZR, on potentially either taking on the Moana license or becoming a partner with PMA,” he said.
“We are not across the exact nature or detail of those discussions at all. To be clear we were not involved in that process at all, and have certainly not seen any proposals or documentation relating to it.
“Over the weekend, Tracy Atiga reached out to me via text. I encouraged her to direct any proposal she may have to NZR in the first instance, given their role as the licence holder, and the fact that there is a level of urgency now.
“I also said she was welcome to copy myself and/or Hale T-Pole from Pacific Rugby Players Association on any correspondence or proposal, or send us something directly if she wished.
“To date we have not received anything. We are continuing to work hard on supporting the players during this challenging time, and helping where we can in respect of any genuine options for Moana’s future.”
Disappointment
Atiga said she is also disappointed NZR does not want to step in to help set up discussions between Kanaloa, PMA and the NZRPA.
“I guess in a professional sense, you would hope that New Zealand Rugby could step in and request a meeting with Pasifika Medical Association, as the owners of Moana Pasifika and New Zealand Rugby Players Association, because this is now at dire level,” she said.
“There’s no one interested aside from our group as far as we’re aware. So to continue to block a viable option that takes care of the debt that PMA holds with taxpayers;’ money, and also takes care of the player salaries and staff costs, etcetera, to continue operations for Moana Pasifika into 2027 and beyond.
She believes NZR has an opportunity to play that role.
“But when we did ask New Zealand Rugby to pull a meeting together to get everybody together, New Zealand Rugby simply said that it’s outside of their remit to do that.
“The options we have are all closing down. Nobody’s willing to talk, nobody’s willing to step up and take responsibility for the failures of Mona Pasifika. Now we’re looking at other ways to hold people to account – that’ all we can really do for Pasifika moving forward.”
NZR have stated they are open to receiving 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 spokesman said, adding “that opportunity is available for the next few weeks”.
Kanaloa has the money
Atiga said Kanaloa have the financial backing to secure Moana Pasifika’s future, but she could not reveal financial details.
She said to run a “normal franchise” it will cost between 10 million and $12 million per annum. She said Kanaloa had the budget to do that, “and we still do”.
“We certainly have all the experience that’s required to take over an ownership model.”
She questioned why Kanaloa has been asked to meet stringent requirements, when the Hurricanes franchise went through share sales last year without too much fuss.
The Hurricanes started the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season with a new ownership structure as the Wellington Rugby Football Union (WRFU) sold its 50 percent stake.
NZ Sport Investment Limited (NZSI) acquired WRFU’s 50 percent shareholding, with the support of NZR and the other existing shareholders.
“The funny thing is that the Hurricanes were sold last year, and no one had to present any commercial model or commercial viability to the public domain in order to take over the running and operations of the Hurricanes,” she said.
She said Kanaloa Rugby is looking to do the exact same thing.
“We want to come in and take over the running and operations of Moana Pasifika, as is, and basically just come in as a new owner. And all of a sudden, as Pasifika, we’re being asked to cough up in the public domain all of our financial information, all of our investors and all of our people who will be leading and spearheading that board mechanism.
“For us, we just want to stick to our values and say, ‘no, we’re Pasifika, and we’re just going to champion this’. And if you want it, then take it. And if not, then we’ll just keep making this a point for discussion and awareness.”
Atiga added they will work on their proposal and send it to NZR, hoping that PMA and the NZRPA will back them to save Moana Pasifika.
