The founder of a Māori and Pacific-led professional rugby club says they have the finances, plan and people to keep the Moana Pasifika franchise afloat despite being rejected in their attempts to buy the license last year.

Tracy Atiga is the CEO of Kanaloa Rugby, a consortium made up of former professional rugby players and administrators of Pacific heritage.

Atiga told Pacific Waves she was devastated when she learned that Moana Pasifika will be disbanded at the end of the Super Rugby Pacific 2026 season.

Despite telling Pacific Waves in February that Moana Pasifika was “here to stay”, the franchise’s CEO Debbie Sorensen confirmed last week that they made the difficult decision to disband due to financial pressures and structural challenges.

In an interview with RNZ’s Morning Report, Sorensen said they are hopeful someone could step in and save the club, explaining that they had gone out to market for investors that didn’t “bear any fruit”.

However, Atiga said Kanaloa Rugby had put forward their proposal to buy Moana Pasifika last year in October, but received a response from Deloitte in December informing them that Moana’s owners, the Pasifika Medical Association (PMA), would not proceed with Kanaloa’s bid.

Pointing to Sorensen’s media interviews, Atiga said she does not appreciate the narrative of the “poor cousin” talk.

“It’s been many years, actually 30 years, basically the history of Super Rugby, where our leaders keep saying stuff like, you know, ‘we just don’t have the money and we need more money’.

“We don’t really agree with that narrative and I think it needs to change for Pasifika people, so that we know we don’t have to be that way. We don’t have to have our hand out all the time. We can do this ourselves.”

Atiga said Deloitte’s outcome was delivered as a phone call, letting them know “they couldn’t move on from past events”, but when Atiga queried what those events were, there was no response.

Kanaloa Rugby previously proposed to establish a Pacific team in 2020 for the new-look Super Rugby competition that launched in 2022, but were unsuccessful.

This kicked off a legal battle after Atiga claimed New Zealand Rugby breached its own rules by choosing the Moana Pasifika bid that had the backing of Sir Michael Jones and Sir Bryan Williams, even though the group had not taken part in the formal tender process.

Subsequently, Kanaloa Rugby was also looking into establishing Hawaii’s first professionl rugby union team to join America’s Major League Rugby competition but nothing came of it when after Hawaiian state senator Glenn Wakai questioned its plans.

Atiga said recent talks with New Zealand Rugby has been positive and that they have engaged with Chris Lendrum, who will conclude his role at NZR by the end of May.

“We had some pretty frank discussions around what might have happened in the past that they didn’t agree with, but equally, I was able to share with New Zealand Rugby, the frustrations that we had at the time around transparency and honesty, and building trust with the Pasifika communities,” she said.

She said the demise of Moana Pasifika should prompt honest conversations, particularly how it was set up and the development of the franchise’s business model that came from Deloitte in partnership with New Zealand Rugby Players Association and New Zealand Rugby.

“I think everybody’s responsible for the model that was developed, it was a grant-based model and it was set up on a trust initially, and then it moved to a limited liability company a year after.

“There’s a lot of key players who were involved and still are involved now that do have responsibility for how it was set up and potentially now why it failed.

“Especially when you had us at the table saying that ‘this isn’t going to work under that type of model’ and you need this type of model to be sustainable.”

Atiga said they are “ready to go” and have been for five years but that it is up to New Zealand Rugby, and the owners of Moana Pasifika, on how they want to proceed with the franchise’s license.

Moana Pasifika CEO Debbie Sorensen has been approached for comment to Atiga’s claims but has declined to provide a response.

‘Vital pathway’

Moana Pasifika’s outgoing coach says the club’s likely exit from Super Rugby could have consequences for the game in the region.

Fa’alogo Tana Umaga told the Sydney Morning Herald Moana had been a vital pathway for young Tongans and Samoans.

“The gap between where we are currently in terms of Samoa and Tonga internationally to where we need to get to is very big,” Fa’alogo told the outlet.

“In the last four years, Samoa just scraped into the World Cup. The previous cycle before that was Tonga [just making it]. And if we keep going the way we’re going, we don’t want it to happen, but the possibility is that Samoa or Tonga might not make the next cycle of the World Cup.”

Fa’alogo said to make rugby stronger, there needs to be pathways and opportunities for players to learn how to be better professionals.

“If there’s nothing to compete against, then I’m sure that [league taking over] is probably something that we’ve got to be thinking about. That’s the real risk.

“It’s fine if we’re not there, but then what for Samoa and Tonga? Rugby league’s got a great product at the moment, and it’s very popular.”

Tonga and Samoa are set to receive a big funding boost from the Australian government.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

A Wellington man says finding his car perched on top of a chest-high fence after Monday’s flash flooding was surreal.

The water left the blue station wagon balanced on the corner of a roughly 1.2m high corrugated iron fence on Emerson street in Berhampore.

On Tuesday morning the car was still there and others appeared to have been plonked willy-nilly along the street as if they were toys, full of silt and debris.

The waterline on a nearby property indicated the flood had reached a depth of 2m.

The owner of the car on the fence, David Fraser, told RNZ he and his wife saw cars bobbing down the street about 4am on Monday.

He said the water floated their car out of its carport and into the road.

After the water cleared, neighbours told them where it was.

“When we actually got there to see it in the morning we were just absolutely dumbstruck. How did it land there, how did land almost perfectly,” he said.

“It was an absolutely crazy night just in general anyway and this kind of topped it off with a dash of surrealism, like some surreal artwork that’s been placed there.”

“There was another car actually sort of almost underneath ours so I’m wondering whether it kind of rode up or who knows but that one’s been cleared. Ours is still there.”

“And I mean, props to whoever built the fence. The fact that it hasn’t collapsed is just kind of incredible.”

Fraser said the lower level of his house was flooded but it was lucky that during recent renovations they learned that the house was on a residual floodplain and its lower level could be used for storage, but not for dwelling spaces.

“It’s bad, but we kind of feel it could have been so much worse,” he said.

Fraser said his neighbour’s house was much worse off with water about 1.2m up the walls and mud and debris throughout.

“They had to get out of their house really quickly,” he said.

“I think they were incredibly lucky to escape without any harm to the family.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Inflation was steady in the first three months of the year.

Stats NZ numbers show annual inflation was at 3.1 percent in the three months ended March, unchanged from the December quarter.

The numbers don’t fully capture the impact on prices from the Middle East conflict.

The greater effect of the surge in fuel costs was expected to be felt in the three months ended June, according to economists, when the inflation rate was forecast to be headed towards 5 percent.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

A rare snail’s quest to find a mate has come to an abrupt end.

But not because he found true love. Ned the snail died last week.

According to an article published on the New Zealand Geographic website, Ned died last Wednesday.

“He was inside his pāua-shell abode when he passed,” Giselle Clarkson, Ned’s keeper, told New Zealand Geographic.

“That’s where he slept every day.”

Clarkson spoke to RNZ in August 2025 when a campaign was launched to help find Ned a mate.

Ned was found in Clarkson’s Wairarapa garden earlier that month and was found to be something quite special – a left-spiralling snail.

His shell spirals in an anti-clockwise direction from its smallest point, while the vast majority of snails boast a clockwise spiral on their shell.

It was a problem for Ned because the physical logistics meant the snail needed another lefty in order to mate.

Clarkson told New Zealand Geographic that Ned had eaten some cucumber, carrot and French beans before his death.

“Boy, he loved his French beans,” she said.

After she found Ned dead, Clarkson said her first thought was that his death was sooner than she had expected.

The second – given the media attention following the campaign launch – was: “Oh my god, please tell me I don’t have to talk to the BBC about this”, she told New Zealand Geographic.

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Taxidermists and butchers are in the middle of their busy season, the roar.

The roar, or rut period, runs from late March through until early May when red and sika stags will roar to ward off rivals and attract females.

It makes it a popular time for hunters to get out into the bush and nab a prime pair of antlers for their wall.

“Once the reds start roaring, it really, really gets busy,” said Oliver Garland of All Over Taxidermy.

Based in Taras and Central Otago, and a keen hunter himself, he became a full-time taxidermist five years ago after getting into it as a hobby.

Garland described it as “sculpture with an unusual medium”.

He mostly sees a lot of red stags, fellow bucks, chamois and tar through his studio.

“The trouble with being a taxidermist is I have to be home during the busy season.

“In terms of what comes in, I had 10 animals in February. I had about 35 come in March, and I’m expecting 120 to 150 in April.”

Garland said mounting a red stag can take over 25 hours, but it can’t be done all at once, which means his turnaround time is usually within a year.

His advice for hunters?

“Get it to me as soon as possible, and if you can’t, get it cold. If it’s going to be more than two days in a chiller, it needs to be frozen.

“The other one would be, don’t drag it on the rocks, on the ground. It’s real easy to damage hair when it’s being dragged around. Skin it in the spot where you killed it, if you possibly can, and then carry it.”

For the non-hunters, Garland said there was a misconception that taxidermy might smell bad and be a bit gross.

But he said it was actually a very clean process. If it smells, the animal’s already ruined.

Jordan Hamilton-Bicknell of Wild Game in Hastings said the business did a lot of homekill as well as venison processing.

“[It’s] very, very hectic. We’ve had a fire at the shop, so we didn’t get back into our processing plant until the 30th of March, which falls on a short week. And every Easter is when 80 percent of the hunters will do their annual road trip to their family, friends, or into the public land. So we just get inundated with stags and hinds and all sorts.”

Also a keen hunter, he said he had definitely noticed an increase with the ongoing cost of living crunch.

“With the huge population of deer around the country and the price of meat, there’s lots of people trying to utilise what they’re catching and harvesting. And in turn, they bring it in and we specialise in turning sort of smelly stags into very good tasty products, which is sort of what everyone’s after.”

Hamilton-Bicknell said they had a minimum of 8kg per batch – it meant that if a hunter brought in a “well-dressed big stag” they could get up to four or five different options from that animal, including patties, sausages and mince to fill up the freezer.

He said these could be especially good options for red stags which could “get tough” and are “a little stronger” – his tip for masking this though is using plenty of garlic, especially in mince dishes like spaghetti bolognese.

“Regardless of what meat you deliver to a butcher, even if you’re cutting it up at a home, go into the hills prepared,” he said.

This meant having a sharp knife to bone meat out, and the appropriate bags to put it in. Hunters could even take bits of string to be able to hang legs up so they were not boning out things in the ground and getting them covered in different contaminants.

“Focus on getting it cooled down straight away. The big one is getting the animal cold so as soon as possible and looking after that meat.

“All those little details in turn helps us when it comes in.”

Hamilton-Bicknell expected things would just start to settle down on the deer front as hunters moved into duck shooting season.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Business sentiment has plummeted in the first quarter of this year as the Middle East conflict weighed on confidence.

The Institute of Economic Research’s December quarter business survey shows a net one percent of respondents think economic conditions will improve in coming months, compared to 39 percent in the December survey.

That is the lowest level of confidence since September 2024.

Confidence diverged across industries. Construction had the most negative outlook while manufacturing had the highest confidence.

But firms reported demand remained steady, with the number expecting a future improvement easing only slightly to 13 percent.

Firms planned to invest more and hire staff but also expected higher costs.

NZIER principal economist Christina Leung said cost and pricing pressures suggested the risk of persistent inflation remaine low, as weak demand limited the ability of businesses to raise prices.

She expected the Reserve Bank to start hiking interest rates in July.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Follow updates in our live blog above.

Wellington and Wairarapa have spent the night under a red heavy rain warning, with downpours expected to continue through Tuesday.

Wellington was hit by widespread, damaging floods and landslides on overnight on Sunday.

Authorities are urging lower North Island residents to stay off the roads and evacuate if they feel unsafe as the rain continues.

MetService said with continued rain over several days there was a possible threat to life from dangerous river conditions, significant flooding and slips.

Follow the latest with RNZ’s liveblog at the top of this page.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

It’s one for small step for man, one giant leap for New Zealand wool.

Auckland-based company Lanaco had its EcoStatic air filters on board the Artemis II mission, NASA’s first crewed lunar flyby in 50 years.

The filters were also on board an unmanned flight in 2022.

They can be used during a fire on board, for example from a laptop or phone battery.

A fire in a weightless environment can present some unique challenges because there’s not only smoke and other toxic particles, but water droplets floating around as well.

Astronauts in these situations put on safety hoods that have breathing canisters, containing Lanaco’s filters.

Lanaco chief executive Nick Davenport said the wool-based material could give astronauts precious extra time, compared to synthetic alternatives.

“The hot particles would melt the plastic filter element and the smoke would clog it and that was compounded by the water vapour – you just imagine the sticky, gooey mess over that filter, which meant that they would have a breathing safe window on that filter of about 10 minutes.

“So when they [NASA] found out about us and EcoStatic and tried our filter and selected it, it expanded that operating window to about an hour,” he said.

Zero gravity isn’t an issue back on earth, but Davenport says the same material is also used in ventilation systems in people’s homes.

“Whether it’s smoke from wildfires or just atmosphere pollution and dust, it’s perfect for that application.”

Lanaco filters may one day play a role in a moon landing.

Although it’s a few years away, Lanaco and its supplier were investigating filtering moon dust.

“This lunar dust is extremely fine and very, very abrasive and our filter media in that very low gravity environment is fantastic at cleaning the air and taking that lunar dust out.

“So if an astronaut is walking on the lunar surface and wants to re-enter the accommodation modules then that is an application where it can be used as well,” he said.

The company was sought out by NASA in 2017 after it received sample of Lanaco filters.

They featured on an unmanned test flight of the Orion spacecraft in August 2022, beating out international competition.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

The owner of an Island Bay pharmacy says he had been lucky to find no extra damage after flood waters ripped through the property on Monday.

Wellington’s south coast was one of the worst affected areas during yesterday’s flooding.

Unichem owner Duncan Sutherland said he sandbagged the shop overnight, and was up early to check for any damage.

“[I’m] happy that it’s not made a mess of the place again, so hopefully that’s the last of it.”

The community had been great at looking after them, keeping them caffeinated and helping with sandbags, he said.

Mondays flooding had reached about 17cm up the internal walls of the shop, and had damaged stock on the lower shelf levels and all of the carpets, he said.

“Our wholesalers have been good. They came in and immediately replaced the stock for us.

“We had some guys come around and replace the carpet for us – they prioritised us as an essential service.”

Currently the pharmacy was operating slightly reduced services, and some medications were unavailable, he said.

“We’ve got a bit of work to do but we’ve got a great team and we’ve got a great community behind us.”

MetService has issued a red heavy rain wanring for Wellington and Wairarapa until Tuesday night, while a state of emergency has been declared for the Wellington region and the Carterton district.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Microsoft is boosting its commitment to improving New Zealanders’ skills in artificial intelligence.

The company says it is pledging to provide digital and AI training for 200,000 New Zealanders by 2028.

It follows an earlier commitment in 2024 to train 100,000 New Zealanders.

Microsoft Australia and New Zealand president Jane Livesey said studies showed generative AI could contribute between $76 billion and $108b to the local economy by 2038.

“New Zealand is building strong momentum in AI adoption. However now is not the time to take our foot off the accelerator,” she said.

The company said it would provide programme support in AI literacy to educators, teachers and school leaders, and help support community and non-profit leaders with the building of AI capability.

The announcement came as chief executive Satya Nadella was due to speak at a conference in Auckland on Tuesday.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Follow all the cricket action as the Black Caps take on Bangladesh in their second one day international at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur.

It’s the second of three ODI matches, followed by three T20I series matches, taking place during the Black Caps tour of Bangladesh.

First ball is at 5pm NZT.

Black Caps ODI Squad to Bangladesh:

Tom Latham (Canterbury), Muhammad Abbas (Wellington Firebirds), Adithya Ashok (Auckland Aces), Ben Lister (Auckland Aces), Josh Clarkson (Central Stags), Dane Cleaver (Central Stags), Dean Foxcroft (Central Stags), Nick Kelly (Wellington Firebirds), Jayden Lennox (Central Stags), Henry Nicholls (Canterbury), Will O’Rourke (Canterbury), Ben Sears (Wellington Firebirds), Nathan Smith (Wellington Firebirds), Blair Tickner (Central Stags), Will Young (Central Stags)

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

New Zealand’s Indian community has welcomed the government’s decision to sign a long-awaited free trade agreement with India next week in New Delhi, describing it as a major milestone in bilateral trade ties.

Trade Minister Todd McClay has confirmed that legal verification of the agreement has been completed, with both governments set to formally sign the deal on 27 April.

Negotiations concluded in December last year.

The government says the agreement will eliminate or reduce tariffs on 95 percent of New Zealand exports to India, one of the highest levels secured in any Indian trade deal.

The signing will now trigger a parliamentary process, with the full text and a national interest analysis to be submitted and reviewed by a select committee, alongside public submissions.

Business and community leaders say the deal has been a long time coming, potentially unlocking significant economic opportunities.

That said, some are urging caution around implementation and migration safeguards.

Veer Khar, president of the New Zealand Indian Central Association, said he remained confident the deal would ultimately gain cross-party backing.

“It’s an election year, so we understand political parties will make the most of the opportunity to take shots at each other and that’s fair and part of the process,” he said.

“But ultimately, we’re confident the deal will be signed because it offers so much benefit.”

Sudesh Jhunjhnuwala, chief executive of Sudima Hotels and Hind Management, described the agreement as a “once in a lifetime deal”.

Having been part of the prime minister’s delegation last year, he said India’s renewed interest in an FTA with New Zealand came as a surprise.

He added that establishing direct flight connections would be a natural next step.

“Whenever there’s a direct flight, tourism from India takes off, and at the same time it will send more tourists to India as well,” he said.

Jhunjhnuwala said stronger economic conditions driven by the FTA would also support domestic tourism.

“The exciting part about the FTA is that it brings economic benefits to New Zealand, he said.

“And when the economy is doing well, people spend more locally. Over 50 percent of our business comes from domestic tourism.”

Dame Ranjna Patel said the level of public debate around the agreement was disproportionate.

“When New Zealand signed the China free trade deal there wasn’t this much kerfuffle,” she said.

“We’re a very small cog in the system, and I don’t know what fearmongering is about the FTA. It’s such a good thing to happen.”

She said the political noise could be related to the upcoming election.

“We probably won’t get a second chance if we turn it down right now,” she said.

Sunil Kaushal, chief executive of the India New Zealand Business Council, called the signing “a momentous occasion” that had been decades in the making.

“It’s been a long time coming,” he said. “As the good old Mainland Cheese ad would say, ‘good things take time’.”

Kaushal said he believed Parliament would ultimately support the agreement.

“I think Labour will make the best decision for the country rather than the party because this deal will add more jobs and more money into the economy,” he said.

Arunima Dhingra, chief executive of immigration and education agency Aims Global, welcomed the signing but said attention must now turn to outcomes.

“For years we’ve talked about the potential, and now we’re keen to see what it actually delivers,” Dhingra said.

She said the agreement could strengthen collaboration in education, skilled talent and investment.

“There are parts of India that are world-leading at the moment,” she said.

“Better partnership and alignment could allow New Zealand to test ideas on a much larger global stage.”

Dhingra emphasised the need to focus on skilled migration.

Kush Bhargava, chief executive of the Aotearoa Bharat Economic Foundation, said the deal would boost New Zealand businesses by improving direct links with India and reducing tariffs, calling it a potential “game changer”.

Manu Lambai, manager of Indian jewellery giant Malabar Gold and Diamonds’ Auckland showroom, said the deal would also expand access to specialised products in New Zealand.

“Those who make these kinds of specialised, handcrafted jewellery are in India, and with the FTA we can bring them directly to New Zealand,” Lambai said.

The company entered the New Zealand market following the country’s comprehensive economic partnership agreement with the United Arab Emirates.

Mahesh Muralidhar, chief executive of Phase One Ventures and National Party candidate for Tāmaki, said the agreement would open up new opportunities.

“India is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world and will maintain that growth for many years,” he said.

“There is a highly engaged middle class that is growing rapidly and will demand more services, products and food.”

He said New Zealand was well placed to meet that demand through innovation and expertise, and that the deal would also hold significance for the Indian diaspora.

Labour MP for Maungakiekie Priyanca Radhakrishnan said any agreement must serve New Zealand’s long-term interests, raising concerns that still needed addressing.

“Labour has raised a number of concerns about the free trade agreement that still need to be clarified by the government,” she said.

“This includes wanting stronger safeguards against the exploitation of Indian migrants who come here for study, like we saw not long ago.”

She said Labour would review the full details before deciding whether to support the legislation.

“Signing a free trade agreement if you don’t have the majority support in Parliament – and, at this point, they don’t – is irresponsible and could damage our international reputation,” she said.

Mahesh Bindra, former New Zealand First MP and chair of the New Zealand Bharat Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the agreement would be “tremendously beneficial” but acknowledged debate was inevitable.

He said he understood concerns raised by Foreign Minister Winston Peters around immigration settings.

“His view that immigration should not be treated as an opportunity to bring in people we don’t need has some merit,” Bindra said.

“New Zealand needs migrants, but we need skilled migrants that the country requires, not mass migration or people using New Zealand as a stepping stone to other countries.”

ACT MP Parmjeet Parmar said a free trade deal with India is an exciting prospect for both New Zealand and the Indian community.

“Such opportunities go beyond individual benefit,” she said.

“Increased trade enables businesses to grow, lowers costs and opens new markets for Kiwi exporters, supporting jobs, lifting incomes and creating opportunities across the country.”

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand