Horse racing lure for tycoons

By SIMON HENDERY

How do you lure superyacht owners to New Zealand? Offer them a good horse race, it seems.

The Trade Development Board (Trade NZ) wants to double the number of superyachts visiting New Zealand for the next America's Cup and has researched the hobbies of some of the world's richest people in its bid to do so.

The board's main finding that after yachting, billionaire boat owners' big obsession is horses will be used as part of a multi-industry campaign to attract more superyachts to Auckland for Cup racing in 2002 and 2003.

An economic impact report published last month found the 80 superyachts that visited New Zealand for the Cup last summer contributed $118 million to the local economy - a significant slice of the total $640 million the event generated.

Mark Player, chief executive of the racing industry's promotional body, NZ Thoroughbred Marketing, said the industry was planning to capitalise on interest from superyachties.

"We're finding increasing interest from the serious bloodstock players around the world, many of whom are also the type of people who are very much involved in the America's Cup," Mr Player said.

He said he knew of at least two superyacht owners who will return to Auckland next January for the annual yearling sales at Karaka.

As well as inviting America's Cup superyachties to the 2003 Karaka sales, Thoroughbred Marketing would also pitch its January summer racing carnival to the wealthy boaties.

"[The carnival] is our best racing. It's the colour, it's the excitement, it's the parties. The sort of things that the people who are the target of the America's Cup very much enjoy."

Superyacht owners would be sent brochures about carnival meetings, which are held at Ellerslie, Te Rapa and Trentham race courses.

They would be invited to racing industry cocktail parties "and we will possibly even put on one or two special ones to draw that bond closer."

Trade NZ's major events investment manager, Paul Voigt, said the $118 million benefit from superyachts during the last Cup did not include investments by superyachties who went on to set up businesses in New Zealand after being impressed by what they found here.

Among the superyacht owners to spend part of last summer in New Zealand were Netscape chief Jim Clark, American property magnates John A. Williams and Ronald De Waal, and Hong Kong-based Robert Miller, founder of the Duty Free Shoppers chain.

At least two superyacht owners, both ex-pat New Zealanders, have launched local businesses since the Cup.

Allen Jones, who made his money in manufacturing in the United States, pulled together a syndicate of private US investors to create New Zealand Yachts, a company building and service superyachts in Whangarei.

Bill Lloyd, of Canadian superyacht builder Sovereign Yachts, plans to establish a boatyard at the soon-to-be-vacated Hobsonville Air Base in West Auckland.

The executive director of the Marine Export Group (Marex), Lane Finley, said he was aware of other superyacht owners who had set up businesses in New Zealand as a result of visiting during the last Cup, but for privacy reasons he was not prepared to name them.

In 2003, Marex will stage another superyacht race like last year's Millennium Cup regatta, in which 55 yachts sailed from Devonport to Kawau Island.

Mr Finley said that while there were concerns New Zealand did not have enough berths for more superyachts than were here last summer, Trade NZ's goal of doubling the number to 160 was realistic.

"I don't think that's an impediment. If you were thinking that every superyacht was going to tie up at a full-featured berth the full time they're down here, then I'd have to say no, we don't have enough facilities," he said.

"But the way the superyachts work is they come in, they touch base, they fuel up, they put new stores on, then they move out to the islands and go exploring and come back a week later ... [so] we can deal with them quite adequately."