Moana Pasifika: Government won’t step in to save struggling Super Rugby side, says Sports Minister

The New Zealand Government will not step in to save struggling Super Rugby Pacific side Moana Pasifika from going under, Minister for Sport and Recreation Mark Mitchell says.

This week, Moana Pasifika announced 2026 would be their last season as a Super Rugby side, after their funding could no longer be guaranteed by their owner, the Pasifika Medical Association (PMA).

Having previously failed to find a buyer, the PMA can no longer meet the operating costs needed to fund the Super Rugby side, estimated to be between $10 million and $12m a year.

New Zealand Rugby has said other parties are exploring the option of keeping Moana Pasifika alive. The Government, though, will not be one of those parties.

“I really feel for everyone involved in Moana Pasifika – the team, support staff and the fans,” Mitchell said.

“Moana Pasifika have been an important part of the Super Rugby landscape and have also played an important role in the Pasifika community.

“While there was a good case to support Moana Pasifika in getting established, given the strong Pasifika community in New Zealand and the wider social benefits, that support was always intended to be temporary.

“The Government does not have a role in providing funding for professional sports franchises, and it’s important that any longer-term financial arrangements are worked through independently.”

In 2022, Moana Pasifika received $4.5m of government funding through Sport New Zealand Ihi Aotearoa, in what was the team’s inaugural season in Super Rugby Pacific.

That consisted of $4m to underwrite Moana Pasifika to satisfy the Super Rugby licence terms, and $500,000 as an operating grant for the Moana Pasifika Charitable Trust.

But that money came from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs portfolio, rather than through Sport NZ, as well as being awarded under a different Government.

Of that $4m, $3m was a loan. Sport NZ is still working with Moana Pasifika to determine how it will be paid back.

When asked for comment by the Herald, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and trade said it had not been approached by Moana Pasifika for funding, but the team “has been a positive force for rugby in the Pacific”.

Moana Pasifika will join a long list of former Super Rugby teams, becoming the 10th different franchise to leave the competition.

That includes the South African contingent, which joined the Pro16 competition in Europe after Super Rugby’s Covid shutdown in 2020.

Japan’s Sunwolves (2015-2020), Argentina’s Jaguares (2016–2020) and the Melbourne Rebels (2009-2024) are all former franchises that didn’t survive.

Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.