Team NZ celebrate their America's Cup victory in Barcelona. Photo / Supplied
Team NZ celebrate their America's Cup victory in Barcelona. Photo / Supplied
Opinion by Brian Rankin
THREE KEY FACTS
The 2024 America’s Cup was the 37th staging of the America’s Cup yacht race and was won by Team New Zealand over Ineos Britannia 7-2.
The America’s Cup is the oldest continuous competition in international sport, and the fourth oldest continuous sporting trophy of any kind.
New Zealand made history as the first continuous team to win the America’s Cup three times in a row.
Brian Rankin (Ngāti Porou) had a career in law, finance, banking, corporate property management and consulting. He is a descendant of Hone Heke of Ngapuhi through his father and is a great-grandson of Sir Apirana Ngata through his mother.
OPINION
What an amazing result Emirates Team New Zealand delivered for this country. The sailing team led by Peter Burling and the gifted Australian sailor Nathan Outteridge were formidable, and flawless in a match-point race for the America’s Cup against Ineos Britannia led by Sir Ben Ainsley and Dylan Fletcher.
Much has been said and written about the Cup since, and for me, it is a compelling story of inspirational leadership, alignment of purpose and the weaving together of a multitude of disparate strands to achieve a seemingly impossible dream.
As a nation what can we learn from this experience?
In the afterglow of success, notable yachting commentator Shirley Robertson asked Outterrridge, “What is the magic that keeps this dream going?”
The winners and their trophy. Photo / Ian Romain, America's Cup
The proverb – He aha te mea nui o te ao. He tangata, he tangata, he tangata. What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people. A simple yet prophetic statement. The truth is that people make the difference no matter what you are involved in be it sport, business or politics.
Emirates Team New Zealand had all the right people. A brilliant design and construction team that delivered a boat that proved to be the fastest. A formidable sailing team.
If you want to take a lesson in open and honest communication operating in the heat of battle, listen to this sailing team. Quiet, respectful, open to everyone’s input and then Burling assimilates and makes his decision. A shore team that made sure everyone and everything that mattered was attended to on time and as required, a management team that looked after and nurtured “the inspirational dream” and the business of the team led by CEO Grant Dalton and then the ethereal element of Ngati Whatua Orakei who named and blessed the boat “Taihoro”.
Emirates Team New Zealand sail their AC75 Taihoro in Barcelona. Photo / Emirates Team New Zealand
It’s the weaving together of all of these elements that I find fascinating. It reminds me of the legend Te Hopu a Maui i a te Ra - How Maui slowed the Sun. It was one of my father’s favourite stories and when he explained the wisdom of this story to me it was about an inspirational leader challenged by what seemed an impossible task, devised and committed himself to a plan that eventually, after being mocked, his brothers and his village brought into. The weaving of flax to make ropes used to harness the sun’s movement across the sky, being a metaphor for from small things great things can be achieved. The flourish being the power of karakia - prayer.
So how did Emirates Team New Zealand win the America’s Cup for a third time?
Helen Clark with Grant Dalton. Photo / Emirates Team NZ
Fast forward to 2024. It has all to do with “Maui” Dalton. He has been at the head of Team New Zealand for 20 years after the Cup was lost in 2003. In 2017 he won the 35th America’s Cup in Bermuda and defended the 36th Cup in Auckland in 2021. The bravest, and I suspect toughest, decision Dalton made was to take the 37th Americas Cup to Barcelona.
The hallmark of inspirational leaders such as “Maui” Dalton is to make game-changing decisions no matter how unsavoury those decisions may seem, back them up and do the job. Dalton was able to secure his sponsors, raise the money and select and attract the people he needed to win. His “purpose” was simple and clear, win the America’s Cup, and everyone you heard, whether it was Burling, Tuke or others, spoke affirmatively to that purpose.
“We are not here to defend the cup we are here to win it”.
Brian Rankin's dad Tarutaru Rankin, was Head of Maori Studies and was instrumental in it's conception and development of Wharenui, Tutahi Tonu. Photo / Supplied
Like Maui, Dalton believed in Ngati Whatua Orakei and what they had to offer. It’s a lesson for us all and I am most grateful to Dalton, his principal sponsors Emirates, Toyota, Omega, Explora Journeys and Estrella Damn for supporting Dalton’s decision to actively involve Ngati Whatua Orakei from start to finish. Their involvement was significant. What makes New Zealand unique is its history in particular its Māori culture.
I share the interpretation of Ngapuhi statesman and elder Waihoroi Shortland when reference is made to the statement He iwi tahi tataou – together we are one nation.
