By STEVE MASCORD

FORMER NRL CEO David Moffett has provided an update on the South Island Kea’s franchise bid after League Central passed over the opportunity for a second New Zealand team.

The Kea’s website was last updated year ago, saying: “Whilst other New Zealand bids have relocated and merged, our investors remain consistent and fully committed to the South Island and partnering with the NRL.”

Moffett, who last week revealed his Welsh rugby league ambitions here at rugbyleaguehub.com, said things had moved on since then.

“We are now no longer involved at all,” Moffett said. “We’ve disbanded the organisation that was putting it forward.

“Similar to Frank Endacott’s bid … we’ve come together to say we’re no longer bidding providing the council leads another bid.

“We’ll do whatever we can. The mayor here who is very supportive of it just got re-elected so they are going to hopefully lead a bid.

“And it will be exactly the same sort of bid as the Perth bid. They’ll have to get some money from somwhere.”

There is a feeling within the rugby league industry that the NRL has gone cold on private ownership models and instead prefers government-funded and community-based consortia.

Moffett said: ““Christchurch Council, their brand new stadium’s about to open in the next month or two, it would be the best stadium in the NRL by some way. It’s fully covered, a 30,000-seater.

“They’ve just spent one and a half billion dollars on sporting facilities since the earthquake.

“They’ve done their bit already whereas Perth is supposed to be building or improving their stadium. Here it is a brand new stadium. There are other brand new facilities that the team could use.

“If the council would like us – Endacott and myself and the groups – to help, then we’ll do that because there is a 20th team to be looked at.”

Perth Bears are due to enter the Premiership in 2027 while the Papua New Guinea Chiefs are scheduled for the following season.

“The Kea was quite an interesting exercise – we spent quite a lot of money in putting that bid together,” said Moffett.

“But I think it would have helped us – perhaps the NRL as well – if we had a little more certainty in the RFP (Request For Proposal) about what sort of solutions they were were looking for from potential bidders.

“There was a lesson to be learned about how they changed the Perth thing mid-stride, if you like … changed it to where it will be a community owned thing.

“Well, I think if we’d known that we would have put in a completely different bid and we would have had the council – we don’t have states in New Zealand – (more involved).

“It’s a decision for the NRL. They’ve got lots on their plate at the moment so they’ll be taking their time and working out what the strategy.“