King Kapisi, AKA Bill Urale, is helping push for the Mana Pasifika NRL franchise. Photo / NZME
An icon of New Zealand-Pacific hip-hop is helping spearhead a push for a new NRL franchise designed to reflect and represent the growing Pasifika presence within rugby league.
King Kapisi is one of the key figures behind the Mana Pasifika NRL bid and believes the timing is right to capitalise on the sport’s deep Pacific and Māori roots, while strengthening cultural connections for players and communities.
Pasifika athletes are estimated to comprise more than half of the NRL’s playing base. In February, the Mana Pasifika consortium formally submitted its bid to the NRL Commission to become the competition’s 20th team.
The proposal included letters of support from Eden Park chief executive Nick Sautner and Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown, while former NRL players Frank Pritchard and Jamie Soward have also publicly endorsed the concept.
Kapisi, AKA Bill Urale, became the first Polynesian to win the Apra Silver Scroll award for his 1999 song Reverse Resistance and he’s spent more than three decades promoting Pacific identity through music.
Speaking to the Herald, he said he believed sport can have an equally powerful impact.
“I’ve always been an advocate that if music can change lives, then sport can too,” King Kapisi said.
“Many of us grow up feeling disconnected, wondering, ‘Where am I from?’ But through rugby league – and the culture that comes with it – you discover your roots.
“Representing your island, your home, your village helps you find yourself and fills that missing piece in your life. That’s the beauty of what Mana Pasifika brings.”
The NRL currently has 17 teams, with the Perth Bears set to enter the competition in 2027 and the Papua New Guinea Chiefs joining the following year, taking the league to 19 teams.
The NRL has signalled its long-term intention to expand to a 20-team competition, with a New Zealand-based licence widely speculated to fill that final spot as early as 2030.
Mana Pasifika are proposing to field an Auckland-based team, in a city that is home to the largest Pasifika population in the world, estimated at about 275,000 people.
King Kapisi and bid leader Muliaga Geoff Brown have also been engaging with stakeholders nationwide, recently meeting local leaders in Wellington, including Wellington Mayor Andrew Little and Lower Hutt Mayor Ken Laban, as part of a broader push for national backing.
“I’m stoked to be part of the bid and we’re aiming to do great things,” King Kapisi said.
“The main thing is that we represent our people, our cultures, our identities and our heritage – not just here in Aotearoa, but across the Pacific and around the world. And just as importantly, we want to make sure we serve the communities that need it most.”
Part of the growth has come down to the stature of international rugby league, which has seen players defect from Australia and New Zealand to play for the likes of Mate Ma’a Tonga and Toa Samoa.
During the recent Pacific Championships, over 130,000 fans packed the stadiums, highlighting the significance of their influence on the sport on and off the field.
King Kapisi said it was an honour to be part of trying to launch a NRL team that focuses on the Pacific.
“I was probably one of the first Samoan artists in the world to put a Samoan flag on my music video to represent my culture,” he said. “I’ve been doing this for the last 30 years-plus. It’s an honour to still be representing.
“I’ve still got music to come. My career on that side hasn’t finished, but I’m starting a new career in the sports stuff, but being serving the community for the last 30 years-plus with my music work as well.”
Mana Pasifika promise to bring a world-class coaching line-up and promises they will be ready if given the green light.
Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.