{"id":762952,"date":"2026-06-27T03:52:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T03:52:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/762952\/"},"modified":"2026-06-27T03:52:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T03:52:15","slug":"nz-rugby-players-association-rejects-claims-over-moana-pasifika-bid-process","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/762952\/","title":{"rendered":"NZ Rugby Players Association rejects claims over Moana Pasifika bid process"},"content":{"rendered":"

The row over Moana Pasifika’s failed rescue bid has deepened with the New Zealand Rugby Players’ Association (NZRPA)<\/a> rejecting suggestions it was involved in the process to secure the club’s future.<\/p>\n

The response follows comments from Tracy Atiga<\/a>, Kanaloa Consortium chief executive, who questioned why only one proposal appeared to move forward while several groups were trying to save the Pacific club.<\/p>\n

Speaking with William Terite on Pacific Mornings, Atiga said a proposal linked to NZRPA chief executive Rob Nichol and Pasifika rugby leader Pelenato Sakalia was “the only group that was progressed”.<\/p>\n

“That’s when you step back and you go, is there something else going on here?” Atiga said.<\/p>\n

She also questioned whether the players’ association should have been involved at all.<\/p>\n

“It’s not their mandate\u2026 their mandate is to look after New Zealand rugby players,” she said.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Moana Pasifika players during Super Rugby Pacific action. The fight over the club’s future has reignited debate over Pacific representation at the highest level of professional rugby. Photo\/Photosport\/Andrew Cornaga<\/p>\n

In response, the NZRPA rejected any suggestion it had been part of the bidding process or backed any of the groups trying to secure the licence.<\/p>\n

“We were not involved in the PMA process to sell the licence or bring on a capital partner at all, or involved with any of the bidders in that process.”<\/p>\n

The association said its involvement began only after that process had ended without a buyer or investor.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Moana Pasifika supporters back their team on match day. The club’s uncertain future has become one of the biggest issues facing Pacific rugby, with many viewing it as a vital pathway for Pacific talent. Photo\/Photosport\/Shane Wenzlick<\/p>\n

It said it then worked with a Pasifika steering committee, New Zealand Rugby (NZR)<\/a>, and the governments of S\u0101moa and Tonga on a separate proposal aimed at securing Moana Pasifika’s future beyond 2027.<\/p>\n

“We never saw that as a bid process or that this proposal was part of any bid process. It was simply an effort to find a solution for 2027 and beyond.”<\/p>\n

The NZRPA said its role had always been publicly known and added: “I have no idea what conflict of interest you are talking about.”<\/p>\n

The latest exchange comes after NZR confirmed that no proposal met the financial and commercial requirements needed to keep Moana Pasifika in Super Rugby from 2027.<\/p>\n

The governing body said in a statement on 26 June that it had explored several options and extended deadlines to give interested parties more time.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Documents obtained by Pacific Mornings show Pacific home unions S\u0101moa, Tonga, Cook Islands and Niue formally backing Kanaloa Rugby\u2019s bid for the future of a Pacific Super Rugby team. Photo\/Supplied<\/p>\n

“NZR explored every possibility\u2026 none of the parties were able to satisfy both the capital and business plan requirements necessary to secure the licence.”<\/p>\n

But Atiga maintains the outcome was not due to a lack of financial backing.<\/p>\n

She said bidders were never given a clear understanding of what was actually being offered.<\/p>\n

She also claimed Kanaloa was not the only group capable of funding the club.<\/p>\n

“Nobody put capital commitment up because there’s nothing for sale,” Atiga told Terite.<\/p>\n

“There are two other bidders\u2026 that also had at least the same as us or more.”<\/p>\n

Watch Tracy Atiga’s full interview below.<\/p>\n

With Moana Pasifika’s place in the 2027 Super Rugby season now gone, Atiga said Kanaloa’s focus has shifted to the longer term. <\/p>\n

“We’re going to go back to the Pacific Island nations\u2026 preparing our players ready for 2028,” she said.<\/p>\n

The dispute is the latest chapter in an issue that has sparked widespread concern across the Pacific where many see Moana Pasifika as more than a rugby team but as an important pathway for Pacific players and a symbol of the region’s place in elite professional rugby.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The row over Moana Pasifika’s failed rescue bid has deepened with the New Zealand Rugby Players’ Association (NZRPA)…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":762953,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[64,63,760,85],"class_list":["post-762952","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-rugby","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/762952","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=762952"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/762952\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/762953"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=762952"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=762952"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=762952"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}