Private Equity
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand Rugby will move ahead with a plan to sell a 12.5% stake in its commercial rights, mainly the All Blacks, to U.S. investors after winning the support of provinces at its annual meeting Thursday. New Zealand’s 26 provincial unions voted unanimously in favor of the proposal to sell the stake to California-based Silver Lake Partners for 387.5 million New Zealand dollars ($279.2 million), valuing the rights at NZ$3.1 billion ($2.2 billion). The only remaining obstacle to the private equity deal is the New Zealand Rugby Players’ Association.

In this article