Officials said NZR went “above and beyond what was required in order to ensure player welfare”.
NZR confirmed the reported amount was in line with the support provided to players, coaches and key management.
Peters’ office noted that a potential revival was not yet off the cards.
“The minister has not ruled out looking at future efforts to investigate potential financial partners for a team to re-enter the competition at a later date, though that would be dependent on Super Rugby entertaining such a possibility,” his office told Newstalk ZB in a statement.
The paper also highlighted that it was intended for Moana Pasifika to play games each year in Samoa and Tonga. That did not eventuate, as “costs to do so were high and infrastructure [was] limited; World Rugby funding was time-bound, and expectations for the number of games played offshore were not met”.
Moana Pasifika played a match in Apia in April 2023, and another in Nuku’alofa in May 2024.
Officials added that rivalry in sevens and Super Rugby drew New Zealand and Pacific nations together.
Other than a sentence saying “the runway for continuing a Moana [Pasifika] team in the 2027 competition is short”, the latter half of the briefing was fully redacted under the Official Information Act.
In late June, less than two weeks after the briefing was sent to ministers, NZR confirmed it would not be approving the transfer of Moana Pasifika’s licence to a new party.
NZR said at the time that it had looked at “every possibility for a long-term solution with several interested parties” and had allowed multiple extensions to the May 15 deadline. It ultimately found none of the parties could meet financial and long-term business planning requirements.
NZR chief financial officer Chris Kinraid said the competition would move to a 10-team format in 2027.
“We want to be clear: the door remains open beyond 2027. We firmly believe a team can be based in the Pacific Islands and that a sustainable long-term solution can be found in the future. We remain open and willing to engage with anyone who can meet the financial and commercial requirements,” he said.
Sport New Zealand is still attempting to claw back the remaining $2.7m loan balance from the liquidators of the franchise.
Azaria Howell is a multimedia reporter working from Parliament’s press gallery. She joined NZME in 2022 and became a Newstalk ZB political reporter in late 2024, with a keen interest in public service agency reform and government spending.