Auckland America’s Cup bid not a factor in venue delay

Team New Zealand chief executive Grant Dalton says the delay in revealing the venue for the 37th America’s Cup was not driven by the late-arriving Auckland bid fronted by businessman Mark Dunphy.

Team New Zealand was due to announce a host city on Friday, instead they announced they needed more time to assess three international venue proposals – as well as an Auckland bid.

Dunphy has made a last-ditch attempt to keep the regatta in Auckland by promising to find local investment.

However, Dalton said Team New Zealand have yet to see anything concrete from Dunphy and the Auckland bid had some catching up to do to the international proposals that were on the table.

“We don’t have a proposal at the moment from Auckland, we have an indication of trying to find the money but no company can write a three year business plan, particularly a company that is a leader in industry, based on hope,” Dalton said.

Dalton did not seem very convinced that Auckland could compete with the money on offer elsewhere.

“We must focus on winning as our primary objective. Those who can’t remember the past are condemned to repeat it and in 2003 in this country the America’s Cup – a couple of the guys were involved then, it was before my time – but it was a disaster, and we have interest in repeating that sort of disaster with an underfunded, hobbled team.”

After the government and Auckland Council’s joint initial offering just shy of $100 million was knocked-back by Team New Zealand earlier this year, the crown and council said the ball was now in Team New Zealand’s court.

Auckland Unlimited chief executive Nick Hill said that they remained interested in hosting the event here and if Team New Zealand came back to them with a new proposal they would be willing to take that to the council’s governing body.

Former world champion sailor and ex-Team New Zealand member Mark Orams said he was preparing for the worst when the venue was due to be announced on Friday.

But the delay gave him reason to optimistic.

Orams wanted Team New Zealand to thoroughly consider keeping the Cup defence in the City of Sails and said the alternative of chasing international cash in cities where sailing conditions were not always world-class was risky.

“Certainly the Middle East is not ideal from a sailing perspective and it’s not just that, there are all kinds of issues associated with security and concerns about particular Challengers who might be uncomfortable going there, those kinds of things need to be considered as well,” Orams said.

“There are risks involved in all the choices, so Barcelona is a great place to sail but vagaries there of conditions in the Mediterranian, environmental issues. And Ireland similarly, it can be a great place to sail but it’s cold and it’s not what you’d call a premier sailing location globally, whereas Auckland absolutely is.”

Orams knew what it was like to lose the America’s Cup and could sympathise that Dalton was under pressure to make the right call on the next venue.

“If he makes a decision to compromise the competitive nature of Team New Zealand in order to host it here in Auckland and then we lose the Cup goes offshore it’ll be his head on the chopping block.”

Earlier this year a Curia Market Research survey found 72 percent of New Zealanders wanted the defence to be held in New Zealand – and on the streets of Auckland on Friday the sentiment remained about the same.

Dalton would not confirm when the venue announcement would now be made – so it could be weeks or months before it is known where in the world the next America’s Cup will be sailed.