Kerre Woodham: Can we really afford to host the America's Cup right now?

Who doesn't love hosting a good party? Who hasn't enjoyed the buzz that comes from having people from all over the world heading into town intent on having a good time?

Even if you can't afford the price of the tickets to the Rugby World Cup, or through fee for Women's World Cup, or you haven't got a gin palace to head out on the water to get up, close and personal to the America's Cup racing, you can still share in the good times and the positive vibes that are generated when a marquee event is set up in New Zealand.

Attention, of course, is now turning to whether New Zealand can mount a defence of the America's Cup and New Zealand waters. Of course we can do it, we've done it before, it's whether there's a willingness to do it.

Former Prime Minister and patron of Emirates Team New Zealand Helen Clark says the case for public funding to host a future America's Cup is as strong as when her government was a significant financial backer. Clark's Labour-led coalition backed hosting the 2003 event in Auckland and sponsored the team in Valencia and San Francisco for the 32nd to 34th iterations of the America's Cup. She said it was all-round a hard economic case of what is good for New Zealand.

But right now, in this time, can we afford it? And really, when you crunch the numbers, could we even afford it back then?

The Government says it's open to a discussion about hosting the Cup in New Zealand, but any government support would need to be assessed against many other competing priorities in these tight economic times and demonstrate clear value for money and economic benefit.

When you have got the sort of infrastructure spending that we need, when you've got community groups that are crying out for funding, which has been cut or has been cut back, can you really make a case

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Kerrywood of Mornings podcast from News
Talk sed B.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Who doesn't love hosting our good party? Who hasn't enjoyed
the buzz that comes from having people from all over
the world heading into town intent on having a good time.
Even if you can't afford the price of the tickets
to the Rugby World Cup for though FIFA Women's World Cup,

(00:33):
or you haven't got a gin palace to head out
on the water to get up close and personal to
the America's Cup racing, you can still share in the
good times and the positive vibes that are generated when
a marquee event is set up in New Zealand. Attention,
of course, is now turning to whether New Zealand can
mount a defense of the America's Cup in New Zealand waters.

(00:54):
Of course, we can do it, We've done it before.
That's whether there's a willingness to do it. Former Prime
Minister and patron of Emirates Team New Zealand Helen Clark
says the case for public funding to host a future
America's Cup is as strong as when her government was

(01:14):
a significant financial backer. Clark's labor led coalition backed hosting
the two thousand and three event in Auckland, cast your
Minds Back and sponsored the team in Valencia and San
Francisco for the thirty second to thirty fourth iterations of
the America's Cup. She said it was all round a

(01:36):
hard economic case of what is good for New Zealand,
But right now, in this time can we afford it?
And really, when you crunch the numbers, could we even
afford it? Back then the government says it's open to
a discussion about hosting the Cup in New Zealand, but
any government support would need to be assessed against many

(01:58):
other competing priorities in these tight economic times and demonstrate
clear value for money and economic benefits. When you have
got the sort of infrastructure spending that we need, when
you've got community groups that are crying out for funding
which has been cut or has been cut back, can

(02:21):
you really make a case that tens of millions, hundreds
of millions of dollars taxpayer dollars should go to a
defense of the America's Cup. Whether you work out, how
you work out whether it will indeed be profitable depends
on which report you want a commission, in which report

(02:44):
you want to read Helen Clark says Barcelona used the
hosting of the Cup as a catalyst for reviving its
economy and it's absolutely thrilled with the outcome of it.
Five years from now you'll probably read a report saying, poor,
poor decision when we last defended the America's Cup. I

(03:07):
mean that was extraordinary times. We're in the middle of lockdowns.
Oh no we're not. No we're open for business. Oh no, no,
we're not again. You know, it was very odd times,
and not nearly as many people as organizers had hoped
made their way to New Zealand. Who can blame them

(03:28):
for spending hundreds of thousands of dollars and getting their
boats redesigned and rebuilt and refurbed by skilled New Zealand craftsmen.
All of the cases made for hosting the America's Cup
fell a bit short and fell a bit flat. And
if you look at other countries around the world too,

(03:50):
they say cost them an awful lot, a bit like
hosting the Olympics. Conversely, you look at the FIFA Women's
World Cup that appears to have been a success. Again
depending on the reports you read, but it appears to
have been a success both in terms of the profile
of the sport, support of the sport and turning a

(04:12):
buck in these times where we've all been told and
I've been said, and you know that things are tough
right now. Most of us are dealing with the have
to have. It's not the nice to haves. We're trying
to find money for the essentials, the necessaries of life,

(04:37):
not the frilly, gorgeous, good time fun things of life.
Is now the right time to be saying hold it
here because Emerates Team New Zealand want a lot of money.
They have to have a lot of money. It's an
expensive sport. These are expensive sailors. There are a lot

(04:59):
of rich men who want the cutos of the one
that won the Americas come. They're willing to spend billions
to do so, and they will pay any price. And
I think we've all grown up and got past the
whole Old New Zealand's sailors should simply sail for the

(05:20):
love of their country. Remember the Black Hearts campaign just
about tour Z be apart, you know, so at costs
and Emirates Team New Zealand will make whoever wants to
host it pay through the nose for the privilege of
doing so, is now the right time doesn't appear to be.

(05:47):
The Only thing I'd say in it's favor is that
we've got all that infrastructure there at the viaduct, it's
not being used. It would be at about forty percent capacity,
which is a damn shame. Everything was built and nobody
came because of the extraordinary times. So it would be

(06:08):
nice to see that that investment could be used, could
be capitalized upon. But right now, I would say hosting
a defense of the America's Cup would be in the
nice to have category, not in the it is absolutely
imperative that we do so. Category.

Speaker 1 (06:30):
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