NZ Rugby Players Association rejects claims over Moana Pasifika bid process

The row over Moana Pasifika's failed rescue bid has deepened with the New Zealand Rugby Players' Association (NZRPA) rejecting suggestions it was involved in the process to secure the club's future.

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

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".

"That's when you step back and you go, is there something else going on here?" Atiga said.

She also questioned whether the players' association should have been involved at all.

"It's not their mandate… their mandate is to look after New Zealand rugby players," she said.

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

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.

"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."

The association said its involvement began only after that process had ended without a buyer or investor.

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

It said it then worked with a Pasifika steering committee, New Zealand Rugby (NZR), and the governments of Sāmoa and Tonga on a separate proposal aimed at securing Moana Pasifika's future beyond 2027.

"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."

The NZRPA said its role had always been publicly known and added: "I have no idea what conflict of interest you are talking about."

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.

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.

Documents obtained by Pacific Mornings show Pacific home unions Sāmoa, Tonga, Cook Islands and Niue formally backing Kanaloa Rugby’s bid for the future of a Pacific Super Rugby team. Photo/Supplied

"NZR explored every possibility… none of the parties were able to satisfy both the capital and business plan requirements necessary to secure the licence."

But Atiga maintains the outcome was not due to a lack of financial backing.

She said bidders were never given a clear understanding of what was actually being offered.

She also claimed Kanaloa was not the only group capable of funding the club.

"Nobody put capital commitment up because there's nothing for sale," Atiga told Terite.

"There are two other bidders… that also had at least the same as us or more."

Watch Tracy Atiga's full interview below.

With Moana Pasifika's place in the 2027 Super Rugby season now gone, Atiga said Kanaloa's focus has shifted to the longer term.

"We're going to go back to the Pacific Island nations… preparing our players ready for 2028," she said.

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.