Dig-deep call for Team NZ

By JO-MARIE BROWN

Team New Zealand members could soon face a tough decision - multimillion-dollar offers from Microsoft boss Bill Gates versus lifetime gym memberships at Les Mills World of Fitness.

Auckland businessman and Les Mills manager Phillip Mills made the offer yesterday as he called on New Zealand businesses to band together to stop Team NZ members being lured by overseas syndicates.

Last weekend, Britain's Observer newspaper identified Microsoft founder Bill Gates as the mystery figure behind a United States challenge that has offered at least 20 New Zealand sailors and designers huge pay cheques from a $71 million budget. It said he visited Auckland during the America's Cup in March to watch Team NZ's victory.

"You've got some top guys now who are probably very tempted by the large offers and they don't appear to have an alternative," said Mr Mills. "We've got to offer them one, and we need to do it quickly."

He was prepared to offer all previous Team NZ members who stayed with the syndicate free lifetime memberships to his gym. His company was also willing to donate around $5000 to a fund, and wanted other businesses to provide goods and services such as cars or phones.

He believed a fund would receive strong support and would enable the team to compete with offers from overseas.

Rick Shera, the lawyer negotiating the Team NZ syndicate's handover to a new trust, said a fund was a fantastic idea.

Microsoft's New Zealand spokeswoman, Carol Leishman, yesterday disputed the Observer story, saying Mr Gates had not visited New Zealand.