Team New Zealand’s attempt to hold the next America’s Cup in Auckland

Monday, 28 October 2024

Team NZ Grant Dalton on talks to try to bring the next America's Cup hosting to Auckland

The next America’s Cup could be hosted in Auckland with Team New Zealand in confidential talks to explore a joint public-private sector hosting bid.

The team, which 10 days ago successfully defended the cup in Barcelona, said it was not clear whether a deal was possible, but hoped it might know by Christmas.

“The message is simple - we are completely genuine in terms of if we can get this home, we will,” said Grant Dalton, the chief executive, in an exclusive interview with Stuff in Barcelona.

Dalton said he was adamant the team was not interested in diverting public money away from critical areas such as health, education and transport, but that existing money budgeted for tourism promotion, and research and development, might be an option.

Auckland was in the mix with interest from the Spanish city of Valencia, which hosted the cup in 2007, and the “Middle East”.

Barcelona, which reportedly paid $130 million in cash for hosting rights for the 37th Cup, is presently not a bidder, ruled out by the city’s mayor Jaume Collboni. But a potential bid is still supported by business interests in a complicated political environment.

Fans soaked up Team New Zealand's triumph at the 36th America's Cup in Auckland.

Dalton said for New Zealand to mount a bid big enough to help fund a winning cup campaign, private sector money would be needed, pointing to the Barcelona model.

For the 37th Cup, it was wealthy local families and business owners which kick-started the bid, agreeing in the space of 15 days to underwrite a $45m contribution ahead of political commitments being made.

“They did it for the reasons of their city, in some cases, their parents had been involved in the (1992) Olympics hosting bid,” said Dalton.

“I think that's the only way the private sector will work in New Zealand. It's got to be done with no ulterior motive, no trying to get hold of the team or take (it) over. It's got to be done for the genuine reasons of getting the Cup back to New Zealand,” said Dalton.

He said public sector funding could not be diverted from other areas.

In Valencia in 2007 the government sponsored Team NZ to use it as a platform for trade and tourism promotion

“We believe in hospitals, education, nurses, doctors, transport, all those things, so that would never work.”

However, as an example he said tourism promotion funding might be appropriate because of the pulling power of a cup hosting, or research and development funding, with the team being a high-tech design and manufacturing enterprise.

Dalton made it clear that no approach had been made to, or received from, obvious political players, but that an unnamed person connected to politics was exploring possibilities.

Opinions were strongly divided in 2021 when Team New Zealand announced it would seek for the first time ever, to find an offshore host for the event, in a bid to get a more lucrative deal.

The government and Auckland Council had offered around $30 million in cash for the event, nothing for the team, and a further $69 million “in kind”.

Dalton said the priority remained getting a deal that would ensure the team could mount a winning campaign, against billionaire-backed rivals.

“The key is for the team to be able to win. The team will always be the main driver of everything,” he said.

He acknowledged that getting a workable deal in New Zealand would be difficult.

“I'm reminded of that great line by JFK, (assassinated United States President John F Kennedy) ‘we choose to go to the moon, not because it is easy but because it is hard’. And this may not pan out, but it won't be through lack of trying,” he said.

Team NZ patron Helen Clark among fans at the team's America's Cup base in Barcelona

The team has had public support for the value of a New Zealand hosting deal, from its patron, former Prime Minister Helen Clark.

“The (New Zealand) deal on the table in 2021 was not enough both to win and to host the cup,” said Clark.

“They probably could have hosted but it would have been a losing bid,” she told Stuff in Barcelona.

Clark’s Labour-led government sponsored the team to the tune of $36 million for its 2007 challenge, using the campaign to promote New Zealand businesses and tourism, in Europe.

A smaller deal was committed for the 2013 San Francisco cup challenge, and delivered reluctantly by John Key’s National-led coalition government.

Dalton said if there were “green shots” of progress with a New Zealand bid by Christmas, the team would put on hold pursuing other options, for the 38th regatta which could be in 2026 or 2027.