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XXXIe America's Cup 
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No
expulsion for Coutts & Butterworth (03/28/03)
(source
: XTRA)
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Russell Coutts and Brad Butterworth will remain
in the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, as a move
to have the pair expelled is tossed out.
The squadron's committee spent about half an hour
considering a complaint from life member and waterfront
businessman John Street who asked the club, which
holds the America's Cup, to consider expelling the
pair for "taking information with them that has gone
to another syndicate".
More, he alleged Coutts and Butterworth had
broken a club rule because their conduct had been
"injurious to the character or interests of the squadron".
Butterworth said that he he was proud to be a member
of the squadron and he would be "horrified" by any
attempt to revoke his membership.
Commodore Bill Endean says the complaint was dismissed
because there was insufficient evidence to justify
expulsion.
He says the complaint was that they had taken their
skill and knowledge out of New Zealand to support
another syndicate. The committee voted unanimously
that they are entitled to do so.
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Dennis
Conner to sail Black boats? (03/16/03)
(source
: NZ
City)
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Dennis Conner is not ruling out the possibility
of sailing for a future Team New Zealand America's Cup
bid.
Conner says he was disappointed with the performance
of the black boats during the America's Cup and wonders
why no-one has been held accountable. He says he wants
to help.
Conner has bought some land in New Zealand and there
is a possibility he may be interested in racing for
a kiwi syndicate.
Conner says never say never, but his involvement in
another America's Cup campaign, for Stars and Stripes
or Team New Zealand, depends on whether funding can
be found. |
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Questions
and critics about the public grant (03/07/03)
(source
: NZ
Herald)
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Political parties and other sporting groups questioned
why millions of dollars of public money had been awarded
to the America's Cup team when other sports were struggling
for money.
New Zealand Olympic Committee president John Davies
said he was surprised Team NZ had not themselves budgeted
to keep crew.
Yachtsman Chris Dickson, who set up and funded his own
New Zealand challenge eight years ago, said he hoped
Team NZ would be accountable for any public money they
received.
The $5.6 million contribution matches the amount the
Government injected into the team three years ago. It
also compares with the $15 million in direct Government
funding available to Sport and Recreation New Zealand.
About one-third of that money is spent on elite sport.
No direct Government funding is available for the Olympic
Committee, or the All Blacks, who are also expected
to be raided by overseas clubs after this year's Rugby
World Cup.
Auckland City Missioner Diane Robertson says that money
would be better spent trying to combat serious social
problems such as children who live in poverty and ill
health. She says her feelings might be different if
the Cup was still in New Zealand.
Former Labour MP and All Black Chris Laidlaw said he
felt "very uneasy" about the public grant.
"There are all sorts of demands on a government's resources",
he said. "Payments to retain people at the top end of
the sports market is not my idea of money well spent.
It's messy. I don't like the precedent."
Mr Davies said all New Zealand sports should be treated
equally because, overseas, all sport helped the country.
Team NZ yesterday picked up their first commercial sponsor
if a new campaign is launched; their second-biggest
funder, the Line 7 clothing company, is promising to
back the syndicate again.
Line 7 Managing Director Ross Munro says Line 7 pump
around 10 million dollars into the team over the last
decade.
He says Line 7 is developing a European market for its
products, and Team New Zealand's presence in a challenge
in the Mediterranean will help with that.
Deab Barker said none of the leadership of Team NZ,
including himself, had been recontracted. A decision
on whether the team would challenge for the cup, expected
to be sailed in 2007, would be made after an internal
review of their failed campaign. |
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Team
New Zealand Handed Financial Boost (03/06/03)
(source
: NZ
Herald)
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Team New Zealand will get an initial NZ $5.6 million
from the Government to allow contracts to be signed
with key members, Minister for the America's Cup Trevor
Mallard said today.
Mr Mallard said that without the money Team New Zealand
could lose "human capital and intellectual property".
"If this happens, all our best sailing, design and boat
building talent will be forced to join foreign syndicates
and related industries, which would be a tragedy for
New Zealand yachting and for New Zealand. We don't want
to see that happen," he said.
Mr Mallard said discussions with Team New Zealand were
continuing and the Government would not be in a position
to confirm a final figure on how much it would give
the team for several months. A challenge in Europe in
2007 was likely to cost more than NZ $120 million.
Mr Mallard said the Government's final contribution
would depend on an assessment of the potential economic
benefits to New Zealand from the Europe regatta.
"It will also depend on Team New Zealand's ability to
raise substantial funding from the private sector, both
from here and overseas, to mount a credible challenge."
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