Team NZ out to conquer basin

By BERNARD ORSMAN

Team New Zealand wants to rule the land as well as the waves at the next America's Cup regatta.

The defenders are seeking exclusive and lucrative naming rights for the Viaduct Basin from now until the end of America's Cup 2003.

In return, Team NZ has offered to run events at the Viaduct Basin for the six-month regatta at no cost to ratepayers.

The last event cost Auckland ratepayers at least $10 million to stage from a total public investment of $125 million, transforming the decrepit and polluted basin into a vibrant attraction.

If it gets the go-ahead, Team NZ plans fewer marquees around the water's edge to create more space for the public to drool over the superyachts and watch the yachts coming and going to the race course.

On the downside, Team NZ plans fewer concerts and less entertainment for the public.

The Team NZ proposal emerged as a frontrunner when interested parties held two workshops in Auckland this week to thrash out how best to manage the Viaduct Basin.

One participant told the Herald the Team NZ proposal was a wonderful idea for the next event, but there was concern about what would happen at the Viaduct Basin in the meantime.

Auckland Mayor Christine Fletcher said last night that the workshops had resulted in "enormous progress" in resolving issues such as village management, public access and sponsorship.

She would not be drawn, however, on whether she favoured Team NZ taking over the village but did say she had faith in the integrity of people such as Tom Schnackenberg.

Resolving the issues speedily and ensuring that Auckland City ratepayers did not again bear the "lion's share" of the financial burden were of paramount importance, she said.

The Auckland City Council, which organised the workshops, is setting up an advisory group of interested stakeholders to further consider options for managing the basin.

Other options which were being looked at included a charitable trust, a short-term management contract, or a local authority trading enterprise (LATE) - which happened with the most recent event.

Infrastructure Auckland, which set up the America's Cup Village (ACVL) as a LATE funded with $85 million of public money, wants nothing to do with running the next event. ACVL has been turned into a property manager to look after the seven yachting bases owned by Infrastructure Auckland at the bottom of Halsey St.

Auckland City Council has drawn up a draft budget to cover the three years up to and including the next event. It shows a shortfall of $15.48 million on expenditure of $34.4 million.

Bob Wakelin, director of city enterprises, estimates that hosting the Cup will cost $10.4 million.

On top is $5 million to build a new breakwater, $6 million to cover cleaning and other associated costs outside the village, $4 million for assets such as barriers and $9 million for day-to-day running costs over three years.

America's Cup feature