SailGP won't return to Christchurch in 2025
Wednesday, 19 June 2024
SailGP won’t return to Christchurch in 2025.
SailGP has withdrawn from its hosting agreement with ChristchurchNZ for the event, meaning it won’t be held on Lyttelton Harbour next year.
ChristchurchNZ confirmed on Wednesday morning the popular sailing extravaganza, which had been staged on the harbour near the city in 2023 and 2024, wouldn’t return in 2025.
“The decision follows two iterations of the New Zealand Sail Grand Prix in Christchurch, as part of a four-year partnership with ChristchurchNZ, Tātaki Auckland Unlimited and New Zealand Major Events,’’ ChristchurchNZ said in a statement.
SailGP boss Sir Russell Coutts had earlier hinted the event wouldn’t return to Lyttelton - which was regarded by the sailors as one of the best on the circuit - after clashing with “minority groups’’.
The opening day of the two-day event on Lyttelton Harbour in March was canned because of sightings of Hectors’ dolphins. That created considerable angst for Coutts.
The original agreement, which included Christchurch and Auckland alternating as hosts between seasons three and six, was varied in 2023 when SailGP shifted from Auckland due to land restrictions surrounding the venue.
With the original intention to host two events fulfilled, ChristchurchNZ has accepted SailGP’s decision to withdraw from the 2025 hosting agreement.
“Hosting the New Zealand Sail Grand Prix has been a great success for Ōtautahi Christchurch,’’ ChristchurchNZ chief executive officer Ali Adams said.
Adams said this year’s SailGP event was the “world’s largest-ever ticketed sailing event’’.
A post-event report by Deloitte stated the event, which involved F50 Catamarans racing in close proximity to spectators, amassed a total economic impact of $33.7 million for Canterbury.
According to FreshInfo, the 2024 event generated a visitor spend of $3.3 million. This was based on 6,091 visitors from outside Canterbury staying an average of 2.67 nights.
Given Coutt’s comments after the event in March, the decision to cut Christchurch from the itinerary wasn’t a major surprise.
He launched an extraordinary attack on local officials in Christchurch after the first day’s racing was scrapped because of the sightings of dolphins.
Coutts criticised the Department of Conservation (DOC), Canterbury’s environmental authority ECan, the Ngāti Wheke iwi and Lyttelton Port Company.
He also singled out ECan harbourmaster Guy Harris for restrictions he said did not allow teams enough practice time on the water ahead of this weekend’s regatta.
“SailGP operates all over the world,’’ Coutts said in a statement to NewstalkZB after the first day’s racing was canned.
“There is no doubt there are marine mammals in all the locations that we race. We've never had an incident in 35 events.’’
He said SailGP’s people and sailors cared about the marine environment, marine conservation and the overall environment, but that additional protocols they had to follow in Christchurch had been problematic.
“SailGP has had this extreme marine mammal mandatory protocol forced upon it, demanded by DOC, ECan and Ngāti Wheke for this event,” Coutts added.
“Other harbour users, including commercial, are not subjected to such protocol. In particular, Guy Harris, the harbourmaster, has been extremely restrictive in prohibiting practice for the international teams.”
Coutts stated the teams had wanted to practice on the water on the morning of the second day’s racing, but alleged they had been denied without any reason given.
Coutts said it was another example of “New Zealand being handcuffed by unprecedented layers of bureaucracy and red tape’’.