Last-minute bid
An 11th-hour bid from a New Zealand consortium has delayed the final decision on the host venue for the 37th America’s Cup scheduled for 2024.
Photography by ACE
17 September 2021
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America’s Cup Defender, Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (RNZYS) together with Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ) have decided to extend the selection period for the venues vying for the rights to host the event following a last-minute bid from a local entrepreneur.
Chief Executive and part-owner of Greymouth Petroleum, Mark Dunphy is hoping to keep the America’s Cup in New Zealand.
Dunphy believes he has a consortium willing to fund the shortfall in government spending that has Team New Zealand and the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron set to take their 2024 defence of the Auld Mug to another host city, possibly Spain, Ireland or Saudi Arabia.
The notoriously private Dunphy is a regular on New Zealand’s rich list with an estimated worth of $230 million. Dunphy’s bid letter arrived at the champion syndicate on the eve of today’s planned announcement to confirm the successful host.
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“ETNZ and RNZYS received a long-awaited letter from Mark Dunphy just over 24 hours ago,” Team New Zealand Stuff.co.nz reported.
The AC37 Race Protocol is on track to be released on November 17, prescribing the details of the race boat designs and rules involved.
Auckland’s greatest advantage to pitch for a second successive Cup is its established infrastructure from significant investment in the harbourfront precinct, which would undoubtedly serve as the venue for the AC37.
A recent poll suggested strong Kiwi support for Team New Zealand to defend the America’s Cup in New Zealand but are split on extra funding from the government.
The poll, conducted by Curia Market research involving 1,000 people over the age of 18 drawn randomly from 24,000 telephone numbers from August 12 to 17, revealed 72 percent are in favour of the America’s Cup staying in New Zealand.
Asked if they would like to see the New Zealand government increase their offer from NZ$31 million to NZ$100 million, 40 percent supported the increased government funding and 45 percent were opposed. Fifteen percent were unsure.
Of those in Auckland, 51 percent of supported increased funding, while 38 percent opposed it.
The 37th America’s Cup is scheduled for 2024 and is likely to involve Emirates Team New Zealand, Team UK, Luna Rossa and American Magic, among other syndications who have expressed interest in competing.
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