Moana Pasifika: The Rise and End of New Zealand’s Pacific Super Rugby Team

Moana Pasifika was the professional rugby union franchise created to give players of Pacific Island heritage a home in top-level club rugby. It played its first Super Rugby season in 2022, reached its competitive peak in 2025, and was wound up at the end of the 2026 season. This guide explains what the team was, how it came together, what it achieved on the field and why it was disbanded — a short but significant chapter in the story of Pacific rugby.

What Moana Pasifika Was

Moana Pasifika — moana is the Pacific word for ocean or sea — was a professional club side that competed in Super Rugby Pacific, the southern-hemisphere club competition featuring teams from New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific. A “franchise” in this sense is a licensed professional team rather than a traditional member club; Moana Pasifika held a licence granted by New Zealand Rugby.

The team was built around players eligible to represent Pacific nations such as Samoa, Tonga and Fiji. That included players born in New Zealand or Australia who have Pasifika heritage. Based in Auckland, its purpose was twofold: to create a professional pathway so Pacific-eligible players could earn a living at home instead of moving to Europe or Japan, and to lift the standard of Pacific international rugby by keeping talent in a high-performance environment.

That mission mattered because Pacific nations have long supplied an outsized share of the world’s rugby talent while receiving comparatively little of the sport’s money. For years, promising Samoan and Tongan players had to choose between well-paid contracts abroad and representing their island nations. Moana Pasifika was designed to narrow that gap by offering a professional home on New Zealand soil.

It sat alongside Fiji’s entry, the Fijian Drua, which joined Super Rugby Pacific at the same time with a similar mission for Fiji.

How the Team Was Established

Moana Pasifika was formed in 2020, initially for a single showcase fixture. On 5 December 2020 it played the Māori All Blacks at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton, losing a tight contest 28–21. The side was drawn from New Zealand-based players who were capped by a Pacific nation, had played Pacific sevens, or identified with a Pacific region.

The longer-term goal was always a place in Super Rugby. On 13 November 2020, New Zealand Rugby named Moana Pasifika and the Fijian Drua as its preferred partners to expand the competition.

Entry into Super Rugby Pacific

The path to the competition came in stages. New Zealand Rugby granted Moana Pasifika a conditional licence on 14 April 2021 and an unconditional licence on 12 July 2021. On 30 August 2021 the club was confirmed for the 2022 and 2023 seasons, starting with the new 12-team Super Rugby Pacific format.

To make the expansion viable, New Zealand Rugby agreed to share broadcast revenue with the two new sides, and World Rugby — the sport’s global governing body — provided financial and administrative support. The idea was to strengthen Pacific rugby without forcing its players overseas.

Moana Pasifika played its first Super Rugby match on 4 March 2022, losing 12–33 to the Crusaders, with Solomone Funaki scoring the franchise’s first try. A maiden victory followed within weeks — a 24–19 win over the Hurricanes. Sekope Kepu was named the club’s inaugural captain on 2 February 2022.

Moana Pasifika in Super Rugby: Season by Season

On paper the results were modest, but the trend was upward. The first two seasons under head coach Aaron Mauger were difficult: the team finished bottom of the table in both 2022 and 2023, winning just two then one match. A highlight of the debut year was an upset of the Brumbies.

The arrival of Tana Umaga as head coach for 2024 marked a turning point. The team doubled its win tally that year and then produced its best-ever campaign in 2025, finishing seventh with six wins — agonisingly close to a first finals appearance before missing out in the final round. The farewell 2026 season ended back at the foot of the table.

Across five seasons the club won 15 of 70 Super Rugby matches. For a side built almost from scratch, competing against established franchises with far deeper budgets, simply surviving and steadily improving was an achievement in itself. For the full competition picture, see the Super Rugby table.

Home Grounds and the Travelling Problem

Moana Pasifika began life at Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland, the ground it shared with rugby league’s New Zealand Warriors. From the 2025 season it moved to North Harbour Stadium on Auckland’s North Shore, a smaller venue with a capacity of roughly 14,000 where the club was limited to only a handful of home games a year.

True to its mission, the team also took “home” fixtures to the islands it represented — playing at Apia Park in Samoa in 2023 and Teufaiva Stadium in Tonga in 2024 — to bring professional rugby directly to Pacific crowds. These trips were hugely popular but costly, and the loss of a stable, revenue-generating home base in Auckland would later weigh heavily on the club’s finances.

Coaches and Captains

Two head coaches led the franchise across its life:

• Aaron Mauger (2022–2023) — a former All Black who had previously coached the Highlanders, he guided the side through its toughest opening seasons.
• Tana Umaga (2024–2026) — the former All Blacks captain lifted the team’s win rate and oversaw the historic 2025 campaign before moving on to join the All Blacks coaching set-up.

The captaincy passed through several hands over five seasons, from inaugural skipper Sekope Kepu (2022–2023) to James Lay (2024), Ardie Savea (2025) and Miracle Faiʻilagi (2026). Dynasty Sport supplied the team’s playing kit throughout.

Ardie Savea and the 2025 Breakthrough

The most significant moment in the club’s history off the field was the signing of Ardie Savea, announced in July 2024. Savea — a World Rugby Player of the Year and an All Blacks captain — was widely described as the biggest transfer in Super Rugby history. His arrival gave Moana Pasifika a genuine superstar and a huge lift in profile.

On the field, 2025 delivered the franchise’s finest moments. The team recorded a first-ever win over its Auckland rivals the Blues and stayed in contention for a maiden playoff spot until the closing rounds, before a heavy final-day defeat ended the dream. It remains the high point of the club’s short existence.

Why Moana Pasifika Was Disbanded

Despite the on-field progress, the franchise could not make its finances work. On 15 April 2026 the club announced it would disband at the end of the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season, citing financial, operational and strategic pressures. Reports put the shortfall at roughly NZ$10–12 million needed to remain sustainable.

The situation deteriorated quickly. The club’s owner, the Pasifika Medical Association, said it could no longer fund the side, and Moana Pasifika was placed into liquidation in May 2026 owing around NZ$8.2 million. Several funding streams had dried up at once: government money had been exhausted, World Rugby was no longer contributing, and broadcaster Sky was not extending its backing beyond 2026.

On 24 June 2026, New Zealand Rugby confirmed the dissolution of the franchise after a failed joint bid by the Samoan and Tongan governments to save it. A separate expression of interest from the Kanaloa Consortium — a group including former All Blacks of Pasifika heritage — was also lodged, but New Zealand Rugby ruled out transferring the licence, judging the bids not viable in the long term. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon ruled out public funds for what he called a “failing rugby franchise.”

The decision drew strong criticism. Commentators and former players argued that World Rugby and New Zealand Rugby bore responsibility for setting the club up without a durable funding model, and described the loss as a blow to the communities the team represented. New Zealand Rugby, for its part, provided temporary funding so the squad could honour its fixtures and complete the 2026 season rather than fold mid-campaign.

With Moana Pasifika gone, Super Rugby Pacific is set to contract to 10 teams from the 2027 season.

What the Closure Means for Pacific Rugby

The demise was widely described as a setback for the Pacific game. Critics argued that the sport’s governing bodies had not done enough to protect a club built to serve communities that have contributed enormously to world rugby. The Fijian Drua continue to carry a Pacific flag in the competition, and Pacific-eligible players remain central to international and Super Rugby squads, but the specific pathway Moana Pasifika offered — professional rugby at home for Samoan- and Tongan-eligible players — has, for now, closed.

For readers following the wider competition, our guides to Super Rugby Pacific and the New Zealand franchises explain who is left and how the league works after Moana Pasifika’s exit.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is Moana Pasifika still playing?

No. The franchise was disbanded at the end of the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season. New Zealand Rugby confirmed the dissolution on 24 June 2026, and the club had already entered liquidation earlier that year.

Why was Moana Pasifika disbanded?

The reasons were financial rather than sporting. The club could not secure the funding it needed to be sustainable, its owner could no longer cover costs, and government, World Rugby and broadcaster support had all run out. Rescue bids were judged not viable long-term.

Did Moana Pasifika ever reach the playoffs?

No. Its best season was 2025, when it finished seventh with six wins and stayed in the hunt for a top-six finals place until the final round before narrowly missing out.

Who was Moana Pasifika’s most famous player?

All Blacks star Ardie Savea, who joined in a landmark 2024 signing and captained the side during its strong 2025 campaign, was the club’s highest-profile player.

Where did Moana Pasifika play its home games?

It started at Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland, then moved to North Harbour Stadium from 2025. It also took home matches to Apia Park in Samoa and Teufaiva Stadium in Tonga to connect with Pacific fans.