Rod Davis
Bad taste
I am a conflict of emotions as I write this column. Having been part of Team New Zealand on and off for three decades, and seeing first hand the powerhouse that Dalts has made the team into, you can only step back and say ‘wow, that is impressive!’ The conflict comes from this notion of taking
the America’s Cup event away from New Zealand to somewhere where there is more money being splashed around. It just feels so wrong and a kick in the guts to all the supporters of Team New Zealand. They feel cheated. Look, I am a big Grant Dalton fan, we go way back. He has done
some incredible work in creating the world’s best America’s Cup team. But on this one we are on different pages. Will this ‘dash for cash’ leave the Kiwis choking on Emirates
Team New Zealand’s dust? If it happens that way you guys wearing the ETNZ kit in public can expect some blow-back. Dalton claims he has to shop the America’s Cup out to keep the
team going. The $100million offered by Auckland and the New Zealand government (translation = taxpayers) to host the next regatta was quickly dismissed as not nearly enough. Forget that the bases are all built, paid for and ready to go. ‘Emirates Team New Zealand and the America’s Cup brands are a business and we will treat it that way,’ according to Dalts. Feels like a strange thing to hear. That the America’s Cup is a business, not a sporting contest, a sailboat race, or ‘a friendly competition’ that the Deed of Gift talks about. It is business. Really??… ETNZ received unprecedented public support through
36 SEAHORSE
the heartbreaking losses in Valencia and San Francisco. And thousands of boats on the water were cheering for the team just a few months ago in the 5-3 defence against Luna Rossa. Really??… For the past 10 years you got exclusive use of Auckland’s 6,000m2
waterfront events centre as your base of
operations… for a rent of one dollar a year. Save you the maths, that’s less than nine cents a month! Really, boys!! When the New Zealand government sinks hundreds
of millions of dollars into your challenges and defences and bends the rules to allow America’s Cup teams and their families into the country in the middle of a world pandemic. And don’t forget that special exemption that allowed you to continue sailing when every other New Zealand business was forced to close down for six weeks last year. Clearly passion, pride and support from Auckland City, the New
Zealand government and the public are more than a business case. Careful before you bite the hand that fed you. Perhaps ETNZ are saying ‘that is all in the past, what are you going to do for me now?’ Granted, our America’s Cup team is just following what has been
done before, by Coutts chasing big dollars in taking the Cup to Bermuda. But a few significant differences: the US government had not been backing Oracle Racing for the previous 25 years. Nor did the US public get remotely excited or support Larry and Spithill’s efforts the way yachting-mad Kiwis always do. Yeah, yeah, I get it. Just a business. That’s what feels so wrong.
Sport should be a uniting of fans, sponsors and teams’ joint passion. On the flipside financial reviews of the last Cup revealed hundreds of millions of dollars were lost in supporting the 2021 event. Now to
MAX RANCHI
CARLO BORLENGHI/NEIL FARRIN/ALAMY
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