If the sporting world handed out an annual trophy to the organisation that proved itself most adept at tapping into public funding, that cup would have long been bolted down in the headquarters of Team New Zealand.
Like all their furniture, it would soon be getting packed up and shipped
to Barcelona.
Public reaction to this morning's announcement that Team New Zealand intend to set sail for Spain was strong and understandable.
It's unclear how much of the public purse – from central government and local government – has been poured into supporting Team New Zealand and developing and backing the efforts needed to host the America's Cup in recent decades. In 2020, the Government committed to a $136.5m package for Team New Zealand to host the 36th America's Cup. Auckland Council also committed $113.
After last year's pandemic-crimped series win by the hosts, council and Government joined together to offer a $99 million package to keep the event in Auckland. It might sound like a lot of money to you and me, but what would we know? We're just ratepayers and taxpayers, the suckers left carrying the tab.
