The founder of a Maori and Pacific-led professional rugby club says her group has the funding, strategy, and expertise needed to sustain the Moana Pasifika franchise, despite their unsuccessful attempt to acquire it last year.
Tracy Atiga,CEO of Kanaloa Rugby, a consortium of former professional players and Pacific heritage administrators, spoke out following news that Moana Pasifika will fold at the end of the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season.
Atiga says she was deeply disappointed to learn of the decision.
Just months earlier, in February, Moana Pasifika CEO Debbie Sorensen had expressed confidence that the club was here to stay. However, Sorensen confirmed last week that ongoing financial strain and structural issues had forced the franchise to shut down.
Sorensen says the organisation had sought external investment but failed to secure any viable backing.
She added that there remains hope that a new party might step in to rescue the team.
Atiga, however, says Kanaloa Rugby had already made a formal bid to purchase the franchise in October last year.
She said they were informed by Deloitte in December that the Pasifika Medical Association (PMA), which owns Moana Pasifika, would not move forward with their proposal.
She says for decades, the entire history of Super Rugby, our leaders have repeated the idea that we lack resources and need constant financial support.
Atiga says they reject that mindset and it’s time for a shift in how Pasifika people see themselves.
Source RNZ
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