New Warriors boss Eric Watson said yesterday that "more than six" players had been signed by the National Rugby League club.
This follows the decision by the club's new management not to roll over player contracts and claims by player agents that the players were being asked to take pay cuts.
TV3 said Watson expected to sign a full squad, along with management and coaches, within a fortnight.
"In a situation like this we have no choice but to go and renegotiate [contracts] with the players," Watson said. "When you take over a business you can't take the contracts with you, they belong to the previous owners.
"We are only into the second day of negotiations and we have signed more than six players," he said, declining to identify the players concerned.
"The players we have signed are outstanding. Over the next few days we have the opportunity to sign a number of new players and re-sign a number of existing players."
TV3 said Trevor McKewen would stay on as acting chief executive, but would not reapply for a permanent position with the club.
Meanwhile, Warriors staff have first claim over money sitting in the club's accounts to pay their wages.
On Tuesday, 12 staff members were told they no longer had jobs and needed to reapply for positions.
Four have been offered contracts at the New Zealand Warriors, a company set up by new licence-holders Cullen Investments, owned by businessman Watson, and the New Zealand Rugby League.
The staff have not been paid for a month and their wages are owed by the club's previous owners, a subsidiary in Waikato-based tribe Tainui's group of companies.
It is understood that sufficient money to pay the wages is in the previous Auckland Warriors' bank account, but has been frozen because of expected claims on funds from creditors, including the Inland Revenue Department, which is believed to be owed $500,000.
The old club reportedly owes $1.5 million in operating costs, but the first claim on funds belongs to staff, then players who have not been paid.
The IRD has refused to confirm the size of the tax bill owed, and yesterday declined to say whether it was seeking to audit, or had audited, the books of the troubled club.
The row over staff salaries follows strong criticism by player agents of the deal, which has allowed Watson's group to take control of the club's assets and licence.
The NZRL bought the mortgage over the Auckland Warriors assets and the NRL operating licence from Tainui for $400,000 and has sold a 75 per cent stake to Cullen Investments.
The remaining 25 per cent will be split between the NZRL and private investors.
The deal, approved by the NRL in Australia, means the new licence-holders are able to set up a new company and are not liable for any of the club's debts, which NZRL president Gerald Ryan says top $10.5 million.
Ryan yesterday denied claims by would-be investors the Yes Group that it would have met, and rolled over, existing player contracts had it been allowed to buy the licence.
The Yes Group, which has in the past been linked to former Warriors shareholder Graham Lowe, made the claim as player agents publicly protested against the Watson deal.
All player contracts now need to be renegotiated. While key players such as Stacey Jones are expected to be offered good agreements, other players are facing pay cuts.
Ryan said yesterday that one player was on a salary package of $521,000 a year, for more than one year, with the agent's fee on top of that. The player was likely to be offered less money.
He said the Yes Group had not offered to pay existing packages, and had told the NZRL this month that it would renegotiate all contracts and did not want to keep some players.
Ryan said had the group wanted to honour past contracts, it would have also found itself liable for all the Warriors' debts. It was unfair to blame the new structure for the debts the Auckland Warriors' owners had incurred, he said.
Rugby League: More than six players signed - Watson
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