New Zealand is acting swiftly to keep the America’s Cup in home waters after a fourth triumph in the world’s oldest sporting competition.
Team New Zealand secured a 7-3 victory over Luna Rossa with a 46-second win in race 10 on Wednesday, prompting wild celebrations and widespread congratulations, including from the prime minister.
Jacinda Ardern wrote on Instagram: “Watched on the telly from afar, but with the team in spirit all the way. Thank you Team New Zealand. Through such a hard year, you provided us with such optimism and excitement. You made us proud.”
In a statement, she said the “America’s Cup [was] New Zealand’s Cup”.
“We want to see it all over again in 2023.”
Her government moved quickly to keep the winning team together and in New Zealand while it plans another title defence, with the minister responsible, Stuart Nash, saying he expected to pay a sum of around $5m.
The government would also pay for a celebration parade if Team New Zealand requested one, said Nash.
But the government’s expectation would be that the next America’s Cup would be held in New Zealand and that there would be some transparency over the spending of taxpayers’ money, he said.
Grant Robertson, the deputy prime minister and sport and recreation minister, said those discussions about the 2023 race would get under way soon.
“I think a lot of New Zealanders would love to see it being raced here again, but there’s a bit of talking to go on before decisions will get made on that,” he told Radio New Zealand. “But I think this is just a couple of days in which we can celebrate this incredible success.”
A fleet of spectator boats escorted Te Rehutai back to Auckland’s Viaduct harbour after the win, while crowds celebrated on the foreshore. Helmsman Peter Burling, a 30-year-old Olympian, marvelled at the support for the competition, and its scale, during a pandemic.
“To see the way Covid has changed the normality of the way we live, to be able to still have an event like this, is full credit to everyone that lives here, the government and for everyone trying to keep our country Covid-free,” he said.
It was the second America’s Cup win for both Ashby and Burling after TNZ’s victory over Oracle Team USA in Bermuda in 2017.
Veteran team manager Grant Dalton, who revived New Zealand’s America’s Cup programme after their failed defence in 2003, said it was a “relief” to have secured New Zealand’s claim on the “Auld Mug”.
Dalton took TNZ to the brink of success at the 2007 and 2013 America’s Cups before the long-awaited breakthrough in Bermuda.
TNZ trimmer, Glenn Ashby credited their “rocketship” of a boat, Te Rehutai, for the win.
“For us to come through in the end was really down to a fantastic design team and engineering shore team,” Ashby said. “Yes, we had to sail the boat but we also had to get around the track well.”
Having been beaten 5-0 by TNZ in 2000, Luna Rossa fought bravely for much of the best-of-13 series and secured Italy’s best result in its third America’s Cup match.
But up against a faster boat, errors in tactics and execution proved decisive as they gave up a 3-2 lead. The Australia-born co-helmsman Jimmy Spithill said he was “obviously, pretty disappointed”.
“I felt like we could have won a few more races against the Kiwis, but to be quite honest, at times it felt we were taking a knife to a gunfight,” Spithill said. “They did an incredible job, developed an incredible tool and package there … all you can do is tip your hat.”