Moana Pasifika entered liquidation owing an estimated NZ$8.2 million, with its first liquidators’ report laying bare the franchise’s full financial position and confirming employment cut-offs for scores of staff. The report by liquidators John Fisk and Stephen White, filed with the New Zealand Companies Office and released on Tuesday, shows secured creditors are owed about NZ$4.3 million and unsecured creditors about NZ$3.9 million after shareholders voted to wind up Moana Pasifika Limited on May 25.
One of the largest individual exposures identified in the report is a NZ$2.7 million loan advanced by the Crown through Sport New Zealand. The liquidators say the company has “no significant assets available for sale,” a finding that leaves limited prospects for creditors seeking repayment. More than 140 known and potential creditors have been identified, including players, coaches, staff and supplier companies.
The report confirms that all employment agreements were terminated when the company went into liquidation, affecting an estimated 75 to 80 employees across the playing, coaching and support teams. That closure follows a period of uncertainty after owners Pasifika Medical Association announced in April that the franchise would not return for the 2027 Super Rugby Pacific season. Despite the announcement, players and staff completed the 2026 campaign after New Zealand Rugby stepped in to cover wages through to the end of July.
Shareholders’ liquidation approval on May 25 formalised what had been a drawn-out unraveling of the Moana Pasifika experiment — a franchise established to create a professional pathway for Pasifika players and to showcase Pacific identity on rugby’s big stage. The new liquidators’ report is the first public account to detail the scale and breakdown of the franchise’s liabilities and to set out next steps in the insolvency process.
Fisk and White said they are continuing investigations into the company’s affairs and have invited any remaining creditors to lodge claims by July 15. The filing with the Companies Office begins a formal phase in which claims will be assessed, assets (if any) identified and distributions — likely to be limited given the thin asset position — considered. The report’s disclosure of both secured and unsecured creditor totals provides the clearest picture yet of how claims may rank.
For the Pacific rugby community and the many individuals tied to the club, the report crystallises the financial collapse of a franchise that aimed to provide opportunities for Pasifika talent. The liquidators’ ongoing inquiries, and the timetable for creditor claims, will determine whether any recovery is possible for suppliers and former employees, or whether the debts will largely be written off.