The Wellington-based administrative arm of the New Zealand Government is reported to have withdrawn support for the 2027 SailGP event in Auckland.
Richard Gladwell writing in Sail-World.com that the NZ Government’s Major Events arm had decided, on economic grounds, not to make its contribution to the Hosting of the 2027 SailGP event in Auckland.
Auckland’s Mayor Wayne Brown,claimed that Auckland had now lost SailGP for 2027, along with a significant amount of goodwill built up over the last four years of New Zealand hosting the event.
New Zealand has previously turned down hosting the America’s Cup despite the success of Emirates Team New Zealand in the event, resulting in the last Cup Match being hosted in Barcelona, Spain and the 38th Cup Match going to Naples, Italy in 2027.
The withdraw of a SailGP event in New Zealand will be another set-back for the battered Black Foils SailGP team, who are awaiting a new F50 hull after their previous boat was wrecked in a collision with DS Automobiles Team France boat during the February Auckland Sail Grand Prix.
They were forced to miss the Rio event and look likely to miss the next Rolex SailGP event in Bermuda, 9 to 10 May, and possibly New York 31 May and 1 June.
The new Kiwi F50 hull is in build at the SailGP Technologies, Southampton UK factory.
