New venue for SailGP NZ event confirmed

By Christopher Reive

SailGP will bring a regatta to New Zealand in 2024, with Christchurch coming to the rescue after Auckland was ruled out as a viable location to host the March event.

The 2024 New Zealand stop in the global foiling league’s schedule was thrown into limbo late last month as SailGP deemed Auckland was not a viable host given land at Wynyard Point was not available to be utilised for spectators. SailGP has a set vision for its events, putting the fans as close to the action as possible - the benefits of which were seen in Dubai last weekend where arguably the closest finish in league history played out mere metres from spectators.

Without the area at Wynyard Point, the league felt they would not be able to host an event to its standards and made the call not to visit Auckland.

Instead, they will return to Christchurch to sail on Lyttelton Harbour to race on March 23 and 24, following their successful New Zealand debut at the venue in early 2023. The 2024 edition will be a bigger event, with more seating being made available for fans, allowing for about 22,000 spectators over the weekend.

In 2023, SailGP had as good an introduction to a new audience as they could have hoped for, with the sun shining, the wind blowing and the teams racing at pace and proximity.

“Christchurch has proven to be one of our very best events to date - with fantastic racing, thousands of fans and spectacular scenery in a natural amphitheatre,” SailGP chief executive Sir Russell Coutts said.

“This is a perfect venue for the stadium-style, inner-harbour racing SailGP is known for around the world and we can’t wait to bring more fans closer to the action with additional grandstands planned for next year’s event.”

The event in Auckland would have been the second regatta in a four-year commitment to visit New Zealand, with the initial plan being for the events to alternate between Christchurch and Auckland each year.

The league is yet to confirm if that regatta-sharing plan will remain as such for the next two years.

It is welcome news for the New Zealand SailGP Team, who won last weekend’s frantic finish in Dubai and sit second on the overall leaderboard at the midway point of the season.

“I think the travel side of the home advantage is very real. We spend so much time competing on the other side of the world and to have one a little closer to home is something we’re really proud of. To be able to share this incredible league with our home fans, family and friends is really special,” New Zealand SailGP Team driver Peter Burling said.

“The home event is absolutely crucial for us as a team in terms of our growth. The amount of support we get from back home is incredible, but it really takes people seeing the event up close and personal, and getting along to really understand what we’re doing.”

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission