Jason Pine: Weekend Sport Host on Moana Pasifika's financial struggles

Moana Pasifika's future looks uncertain despite their fourth and most successful Super Rugby campaign. 

The Herald reports concerns centre around the charity Pasifika Medical Association Group which bought the franchise last year and a reduction in their Whanau Ora contracts. 

Those have previously been used to bolster Moana Pasifika's finances, a strategy reported as quietly contentious among Polynesian health service providers. 

Earlier this month, 15 players were released from this year’s squad. 

Newstalk ZB’s Jason Pine told Ryan Bridge that sponsorships are never easy to come by. 

He says there’s a lot of revenue streams, but none of them are increasing, so it’s got to be furrowing the brows of those at Moana Pasifika HQ. 

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Note: The original story from the NZ Herald has been updated to clarify that Whanau Ora funds flowed to the Moana Pasifika Charitable Trust, and the current owner of the Trust and the team, Pasifika Medical Association, has emphasised that no Whānau Ora funds have been used to fund the Moana Pasifika professional rugby team. The Herald has removed from the story the contention that Whānau Ora funds were directly used for the professional team in the fiscal years 22/23 and 23/24.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Super Rugby's Muana PACIFICA team is being propped up to
buy taxpayer cash to the tune of about eight million dollars. Yes, so,
through its inception and first three seasons, the team receiving
eight million dollars in New Zealand government help. About five
million were grants. Three million dollars was a Sport New
Zealand loan. First repayments of that made in March and

(00:24):
the rest now due. Apparently three hundred thousand dollars of
the loan has been written off already and another use
of money through Farno Order funds has come via the
PACIFICA Medical Association Group, which is a charity which is
the primary backer of the team. Now this money is

(00:46):
going to dry up under government changes. Jason Pine News
talks every week in Sport host with me this morning.
This is a story in the Herald. Jason, good morning, Yeah, morning, right.
What does this mean for the team.

Speaker 2 (00:57):
Well, it can't be good news, can it. When money
drives up, that's never a good thing. And as you've outlined,
the owners of the team, PACIFICA Medical Association Group, the
charity that owns Winna Pacific, are going to lose that
fun to order contract. Look, not all of that money
obviously went to Majana Pacifica, but their funds the rugby
teams that have been bolstered significantly in the last couple

(01:19):
of years through that money, as well as broadcast, which
we know is also going to be reduced when the
new Sky ideal comes out. Sponsorship's never easy to come by,
so there's a lot of revenue streams here, Ryan, and
none of them are increasing. So yeah, it's got to
be it's got to be furrowing the brow of those
Atana Pacifica HQ.

Speaker 1 (01:39):
Absolutely. How are rugby teams cup rugby teams normally funded?
Like it would it be normal for government money to
be involved in stuff like this?

Speaker 2 (01:48):
No, And I think Wanda Pacifica was a special case
when they were stood up, you know they it was
an idea that I think most people agreed with another
super rugby team with path ways through to the Tongen
and Somemuran national teams. They take part in a competition
with all of the other New Zealand sides, so I
think a New Zealand Rugby. New Zealand Rugby were their

(02:10):
biggest backer in the first season of their existence, along
with government money. But no, I mean you must remember
that that they're not one of New Zealand Rugby's teams,
you know, despite what I've just said, there are New
Zealand players there. Ardsav the best example. But no, it
wouldn't be common for, for example, New Zealand Rugby to
ride and on a white horse here and save the

(02:30):
franchise if it came to that.

Speaker 1 (02:32):
Right, So they're sort of on their own without and
if this government money does dry up, it looks like
perhaps the team what may not continue.

Speaker 2 (02:41):
Well, I mean that's the worst case scenario. You hope
that they find a way. There's broadcast, there's sponsorship, there's
ticket sales, and there's obviously the owner's own funds and
perhaps money from New Zealand Rugby and World Rugby might
be forthcoming if it meant that the franchise could continue.
As we know, Ryan, they had an excellent season, their
best season, you know by it almost made the playoffs.

(03:01):
So it would be a great shame if they were
to dissolve. But yeah, there's some thinking to do with
As I say, these revenue streams maybe not quite what
they were in previous years.

Speaker 1 (03:11):
Yeah, hey, good on you. Thanks for coming on the
show this morning. Good to hear you, Jason Pine, News Talks,
he'd be week in Sports hosts with us and it's
twenty two minutes twenty three minutes after five on News Talks,
he'd be interesting. The Fiji and Drewer supported by fifteen
on Ireland sponsors and Super Rugby's highest merchandising sales for

(03:32):
Fiji and Drawer. It is financially impossible for one of
PACIFICA to be based in Samoa or Tonga, so basically
their countries are too small and it just they don't
have the infrastructure, they don't have the facilities, they don't
have the high performance sports, so they have to be
based here for more.

Speaker 2 (03:48):
From Early Edition with Ryan Bridge. Listen live to News
Talk SADB from five am weekdays, or follow the podcast
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