Moana Pasifika are in liquidation, the vote was held and the story ends here.
The trouble is the taxpayer footed a lot of the bill and the money is gone, flushed down an ideological toilet.
If the idea was such a sensational one, someone actually using their own money would have thought of it and further put it into practice.
But the idea wasn't a sensational one. It was an artificial one propped up with other people's money.
The most immediate alarm bells should be ringing in the NRL with their PNG venture.
Having been handed millions by the Australian Government, players will live in a compound because it's too unsafe not to, and their pay will be artificially jacked up by tax treatment. Otherwise, if it wasn't, no one would want to play in PNG.
Gosh I wonder why.
The fact this harebrained idea has got as far as it has actually defies what is going on elsewhere in the sport, which is good. And what else it defies is belief.
But back to Moana Pasifika, it was taxpayers’ money through a series of very, very loosely connected organisations to sport i.e. a medical group who, if you join some dots, you can argue if you run around you might be a bit fitter and then not end up dying young. That sort of logic. Anyway, a medical group who ended up in charge of a professional sports team who didn't really attract a crowd and didn't really turn out to be that good.
Which is one of the great ironies – young Pacific kids were supposed to see their heroes and be inspired to be fit and play sport. You know what inspires kids? Winners. You’ve got to win.
And those kids could see their heroes anyway in the Crusaders, the Chiefs, the Hurricanes, the Highlanders, and the Blues.
No one ever watched Lomu or Jones and wondered aloud to themselves, "wouldn't it be cool if they had their own, local team?"
So it ends in liquidation, a bad idea, with easy money, not properly executed and ending in the poor house.
In a world where successful sport is all around us, why would you try and gerrymander it in such an amateurish fashion?
Mike Hosking is a New Zealand television and radio broadcaster. He currently hosts The Mike Hosking Breakfast show on NewstalkZB on weekday mornings - where this article was sourced.
But the idea wasn't a sensational one. It was an artificial one propped up with other people's money.
The most immediate alarm bells should be ringing in the NRL with their PNG venture.
Having been handed millions by the Australian Government, players will live in a compound because it's too unsafe not to, and their pay will be artificially jacked up by tax treatment. Otherwise, if it wasn't, no one would want to play in PNG.
Gosh I wonder why.
The fact this harebrained idea has got as far as it has actually defies what is going on elsewhere in the sport, which is good. And what else it defies is belief.
But back to Moana Pasifika, it was taxpayers’ money through a series of very, very loosely connected organisations to sport i.e. a medical group who, if you join some dots, you can argue if you run around you might be a bit fitter and then not end up dying young. That sort of logic. Anyway, a medical group who ended up in charge of a professional sports team who didn't really attract a crowd and didn't really turn out to be that good.
Which is one of the great ironies – young Pacific kids were supposed to see their heroes and be inspired to be fit and play sport. You know what inspires kids? Winners. You’ve got to win.
And those kids could see their heroes anyway in the Crusaders, the Chiefs, the Hurricanes, the Highlanders, and the Blues.
No one ever watched Lomu or Jones and wondered aloud to themselves, "wouldn't it be cool if they had their own, local team?"
So it ends in liquidation, a bad idea, with easy money, not properly executed and ending in the poor house.
In a world where successful sport is all around us, why would you try and gerrymander it in such an amateurish fashion?
Mike Hosking is a New Zealand television and radio broadcaster. He currently hosts The Mike Hosking Breakfast show on NewstalkZB on weekday mornings - where this article was sourced.
4 comments:
Moana Pacifica should have been managed and assisted to avoid the liquidation by NZRFU, the World Rugby body or a conglomeration of Moana Pacifica fans . Just Someone .
Every team in sport needs a another team to play and Rugby is no different.
There will be a massive hole next year for Moana Pacifica fans when their team does not have a home game . North Harbour stadium will be poorer because of the non attendance .
World Rugby will be poorer with their demise .
Therefore Moana Pacifica should just shake hands with a group from Southland and be reunited with the competition again and make Invercargill their home ground and be welcomed each week in Highlander territory.
So to summarize......incompetence. like I've always said employ the best person for the job. Why cant the left see that this is the best way forward? Oh but wait, its taxpayers money, of course, an unlimited resource to enact the lefts stupidity.
It is hard to argue against this article.
A handful of younger players got some exposure and recognition a bit earlier than they might have.
But otherwise, we all helped pay for another government feather-brained concept.
Perhaps the only money that was made was by the TAB?
It seems in every NZ sporting broadcast the TAB have weaseled their way in and have become ingrained into the event and programming.
And there is no end to the TABs imagination and variety of ways they can encourage punters to lay down a bet.
- the first forward to score a try?
- the player with the most family in the grandstand?
- the fastest in the halftime race to a bucket of chicken?
But I'm glad MP are going. They bought nothing to the competition and their players are better off being absorbed into the core of the proven teams.
I'm sure another ideological nonsense will crop up as a replacement, and the TAB will once again tear at the punters heartstrings yet remind them to "bet responsibly".
KFC will also continue with their advertising campaign. Reminding the nation, no one can run faster than a hungry kiwi for a free feed.
Sooooohhhh - a Rugby Club is in financial 'doogy doo', the "money" has gone so can I ask - whose 'bank a/c' has become richer ?
Oh, never mind Anon, the money has gone, the club is being disbanded and no one has said or is willing to - tackle that mysterious elephant in the room and -
" state we need to have a financial investigation into where the money went"!
That is of course, that Moana Pacifica - actually had an accountant?
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