Grant
Dalton to head Team NZ (04/23/03)
(source
: Stuff.co.nz)
Yachting legend Grant Dalton is expected to be
named as Team New Zealand's managing director today.
The former round-the-world yachtsman has been touted
as a contender after the team's disastrous 5-0 loss
in the America's Cup to Swiss team Alinghi in February.
An announcement will be made at the Royal New Zealand
Yacht Squadron in Auckland this morning.
Dalton, 45, could not be reached for comment last night.
However, supporters have indicated he has the skills
for the new position, which takes overall responsibility
for the team.
Earlier this month, former manager of New Zealand's
Olympic yachting team Rod Slater said: "My experience
of watching Grant Dalton putting campaigns together
is he has got what it takes."
Dalton's first round-the-world race was in the 1981-82
Whitbread. He won the 1993-94 event on the yacht Endeavour.
m
Team
NZ move to protect assets (04/01/03)
(source
: NZoom)
Team New Zealand announced plans on Tuesday afternoon
to re-sign key personnel, whose contracts expired on
Monday evening, for up to a further six months, while
they decide whether to mount a challenge for the next
America's Cup.
They plan to complete a feasibility study on a 2007
challenge by October this year, but have a commitment
from syndicate head Tom Schnackenberg if a New Zealand
challenge goes ahead.
"We are determined to never again be as vulnerable
as we were in 2000 to defections", said Team New
Zealand chairman Ralph Norris. "We regard the commitment
by Tom to be part of any future challenge to be critical,
and he will be the nucleus of any 2007 Team New Zealand."
The $5.6 million received from the New Zealand government
in early March will be used to underwrite the salaries
of an extended group of core team members.
"The seeding finance from the Government will be treated
as a loan until a decision is made to challenge, and
the sale of assets will cover repayment in the event
we do not challenge," wrote Norris.
They are also seeking to appoint a Managing Director
to take on overall responsibility for the syndicate
and a Director of Sailing to lead the sailing group
and control the boat design process. However, until
the future contracts are signed the identities will
be kept confidential.
Over the last month the Kiwi syndicate have completed
an internal review of their dismal performance in the
2003 America's Cup. And they vow to complete a review
with sponsors and external business partners by the
end of April.
"We believe we have pinpointed answers to the questions
all New Zealanders are asking regarding our 5-0 loss,"
Norris said. They will not yet reveal exactly what those
answers are, but say they lie within the team, rather
than any funding or construction errors.
"While we will in the future discuss the reasons identified
by the report, there may be intellectual property we
may wish to keep confidential if we believe that releasing
this information may assist other syndicates."
It's believes skipper Dean Barker is currently overseas
trying to secure funding.
"Our present view is that if we were to mount a challenge
we would only be successful with a significantly increased
budget funded by global corporates," wrote Norris. "And
that given the improvements we anticipate need to be
made, we would need a boat design, sail and sailing
team package greatly superior to that of any syndicate
that competed in the 2003 regatta."
Team
NZ delay announcement (03/31/03)
(source
: NZoom)
As of Monday evening the contracts binding members
to Team New Zealand's 2003 campaign expired.
After losing 5-nil to Switzerland-based Alinghi in the
America's Cup series the New Zealand syndicate have
gone to ground, dedicating numerous hours to reviewing
what went wrong.
The team gathered at the Halsey Street base on Monday
for a special meeting to outline their future.
Team New Zealand chairman Ralph Norris declined to comment
after the meeting, but said a public announcement will
be made on Tuesday.
Former defender is expected to announce tomorrow
that it is pushing ahead with a challenge for the 2007
regatta in Europe, despite few commitments from sponsors.
The internal inquiry into Team New Zealand losing the
cup to Swiss syndicate Alinghi is said to have been
"honest and brutal".
One of the criticisms has been the lack of a strong
central figure like the late Sir Peter Blake. Round-the-world
winner Dalton is seen to be from a similar mould and
he has been approached by Team New Zealand trustees
Peter Menzies and Ralph Norris.
"A job like that is a huge challenge and as a passionate
Kiwi it's hard to say no to a challenge," said Dalton.
"I am interested but it all depends on terms and conditions.
I understand Team New Zealand is keen to challenge."
Dalton said there was a need to get things rolling quickly.
"Things that happen now will decide how 2007 pans out.
I don't believe it's as desperate as 2000 when huge
chequebooks were waved around to get our best sailors.
But we can't afford to lose key people again".
"It's a catch 22 situation at the moment - people won't
commit money without a team and direction but it's hard
to commit a team without funding".
"I see it similar to 1992 when out of the ashes of defeat
rose a phoenix that went on to win and defend the Cup.
We have the skill to do that again."
Dalton's strengths go beyond his sailing ability. He
has a good understanding of design, knows how to organise
a campaign and, importantly, has strong contacts overseas
at a time when Team New Zealand funding is likely to
be built around offshore sponsorship.
"Getting the America's Cup back is one of the biggest
issues facing New Zealand sport and industry," he said.
A challenge in Europe will be expensive. It's understands
major sponsor SAP, one of the world's biggest e-solutions
providers, has indicated a willingness to stay involved.
Team New Zealand met with its family of five sponsors
last week and Executive director Tony Thomas is heading
to Europe seeking sponsorship opportunities there.
There will also be an increased government investment,
perhaps backing the campaign on a $1 for every $2 raised
by Team New Zealand.
Grant
Dalton offers to head Team NZ (03/29/03)
(source
: NZ
City)
Round the world veteran Grant Dalton has made
it clear he is available to head the syndicate if
it challenges for the America's Cup again.
Dalton says it would be a great challenge and one
that would be hard to turn down if offered.
Grant Dalton says Team New Zealand looks to be in
a holding pattern at the moment, and they need to
establish what direction they will take for the next
campaign.
No
expulsion for Coutts & Butterworth (03/28/03)
(source
: XTRA)
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.
Dennis
Conner to sail Black boats? (03/16/03)
(source
: NZ
City)
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.
Questions
and critics about the public grant (03/07/03)
(source
: NZ
Herald)
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.
