Mana Pasifika NRL spot bid to retain talent

Article posted by Coliseum, February 21^st, 2025

Image: Eden Park

A Pasifika-centric (people from the Pacific Islands who live in New Zealand) franchise has bid to become the newest addition to the National Rugby League (NRL) competition.

‘PMN’ stated that the Mana Pasifika officially launched their bid to be the NRL’s 19th team after years of preparation.

Plans to launch Mana Pasifika in the 2027-2028 seasons are underway but the final decision will be taken by the NRL Commission.

Sydney (Australia)-based the National Rugby League (NRL) is a professional rugby league competition in Australasia which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory, and New Zealand.

Auckland (New Zealand) is the latest City to throw its hat in the ring for a new NRL franchise proposing the new team to be called Mana Pasifika. The team behind the bid said they hope to create a Pasifika powerhouse “representing the vibrant culture, heritage and values of Pasifika and the Māori (the indigenous people of New Zealand) athletes”.

The Mana Pasifika Lead Paepaetele Geoff Brown says a Pasifika-centric team in the NRL is long overdue – “Mana Pasifika was established as a sounding board for the Pacific Islands and also the local iwi (a Māori community or people) within New Zealand. It stems from a lot of work over the years with several organizations like the Sāmoa, the Tonga (countries in Oceania), the Cooks, Niue (island country in the South Pacific Ocean), the Tokelau (a dependent territory of New Zealand in the Southern Pacific Ocean), and the Māori indigenous. The rugby league has been a strong part of our society for years so we’re excited about the opportunity of bringing our people together.”

‘PMN’ further stated that the Pacific playing population in the NRL has risen to nearly 50 percent over the past decade with many young players moving from New Zealand to Australia.

Brown says the Mana Pasifika aims to retain players in New Zealand – “We’re losing in terms of talent about 150 kids plus a year to Australia to pursue a career. And those kids are not your average kids, these are talented kids who have been brought up in this system and so we can’t afford to lose them.”

Brown said this would allow the talented players to stay in Auckland surrounded by their local communities – “If we’re going to grow the game, strengthen the ties of rugby league in New Zealand, we need to hold on to our talent and essentially this bid is part of that.”

With the iconic Eden Park slated as their home ground, Brown said he was proud to bring something Pasifika to the stadium – “There’s no park like the Eden Park. I played at the now-closed 28,000-capacity Carlaw Park in Parnell, Auckland, as a young man. I also sprinted at the Ericsson Stadium, now the 25,000-capacity Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland. So, to be able to bring something to the Eden Park – it’s historic for the game of rugby league, but more importantly, for our communities.”

The Eden Park is a sports venue in Auckland, New Zealand. It is located three kilometers Southwest of the Auckland Central Business District (CBD) on the boundary between the suburbs of Mount Eden and Kingsland. The main stadium has a nominal capacity of 50,000 and is sometimes referred to as New Zealand’s national stadium.

The Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown expressed support for the above initiative – “Mana Pasifika embodies the heart and soul of Auckland, our diversity, our heritage and our love for sport. This franchise will not only strengthen rugby league in the region but also serve as a symbol of unity for all our communities.”

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