$10 million to America's Cup:

[denill]

It's not surprising given the facilities and the track itself, which is a shame. Would be nice to think they can get the place sorted out for future events, however I think Hampton Downs may throw a spanner in the works.

I wouldn't care where it was held. A1GP racing is crap - specially when compared with bikes.

[imdying]

A1GP racing is crap when compared with bikes.

With that slight modification, that I can agree with. A1GP isn't death to brain cells to watch, but motogp and wsb eat it alive in the excitement stakes.

[Big Dave]

I have no pedigree in community service. I'd like one, but don't think I could actually do it.

Cool - You can be successful and moral - not always mutually exclusive.


When the Sydney olympics were on they shipped all the Aboriginal people in the government housing in redfern north to toronto, near newcastle - where I was running the gym. Initially ran it so I didn't have to drive my kids into Newy for a game of hoops. Later because I got into it.

Some of the biggest laughs ever, came when their elders and my mate Paul & I conspired to get these f*****' angry street kids a game.
They turned up in white singlets. All these black kids v Toronto High and I'm refereeing.

'Black Ball' and nobody knew what the hell was going on - everyone wanted it. White kids in black singlets and black kids in white singlets.

'Not you, you idiot - you're white' says his captain.
Kid looks at his arm and says - bugger me - 'I hate you bastards already'.
I couldn't blow the whistle I was laughing that hard.

We turned a few of them around. They basically just needed somewhere to hang out. I used to keep the Y open a bit longer, and if they had something to do - there was less trouble in the town and sooner or later they stopped being as angry. If they wanted to fight I'd let them, in gloves and head gear.

Some were beyond it. Some still email me. The one Stevie sent me about 'showing a black man the way forward' may have choked me up - but I will deny it.

[spookytooth]

and the poor old softballers who have been world champs in every age group countless times have to borrow a row boat to go play

[NighthawkNZ:Me]

and the poor old softballers who have been world champs in every age group countless times have to borrow a row boat to go play

agreed on that too...

[xwhatsit]

I wouldn't care where it was held. A1GP racing is crap - specially when compared with bikes.

Lol. So really you just want money from the government for your own pet sport. Who really cares about anything else other than bikes, anyway?

[NighthawkNZ:Me]

... Who really cares about anything else other than bikes, anyway?

yeah... and your point is ?

[scracha]

I thought NZ didn't have a class system. Seems the media darlings are trying to convince your average kiwi to actually give a shit about a bunch of millionaires playing sailors on their yachts. Is there a TV "personality" or politician in this country who hasn't wangled a jaunt out to Valencia?

[Blackbird]

Lol. Who really cares about anything else other than bikes, anyway?

I do - used to race yachts competitively (like a few others on KB too)

[Oakie]

Just two observations from me to add to the discussion:

'Rich boys game'? Alinghi, Oracle, Prada (I think) all had multi millionaires backing thier campaigns so yeah ... rich boys game for them. Not so for Team New Zealand though. No rich Kiwi as a major backer, just corporate sponsorship (yeah and government) for them so it's not exclusively the rich boys stroking their egos. Some teams are in it for the pure sporting glory aspect as it's driven by the sportsmen, not the rich dudes looking for some nice silverware for the dinner table..

'Money should be spent on other things'? Do the maths and you'll find it's a cash investment for the gov't. I'm not sure of the figures but I think the govt put in $30mil for the last Auckland event. It's accepted that $500mil came into Auckland. At the very basic level if you assume the $500mil was all spent on goods and services that is a GST take for the govt of over $62mil. So rather than throwing $30mil away they've actually made an additional $32mil. Of course those figures are flawed. A fair proportion of that $500mil would be wages from hours worked that wouldn't have happened had the Americas Cup not happened. Guess what? Wages tax is higher than GST so the tax take for the gov't would have been much more than $62mil. That is why they can justify throwing money into this event. The return on investment is huge ... assuming we win of course. (oops).

[smoky]

$35 million gone, $10 million check in the mail and a promise of another $35 million or so to come.
Ah well easy come easy go
I find the unchallenged funding to the tunes of millions of dollars of a toffee noised elite sport by our government an appalling situation.

We have woman’s refuges struggling to meet the needs of abused women, food banks closing due to lack of funding, the refusal to fund a breast cancer medication because it would be to costly, growing waiting lists for basic operations, partly disabled people forced into institutions, or left to be picked up by charities because we can’t employ enough care givers in the communities – we can only pay them basic wages and no travel costs.
Oh we’re having to increase local body rates and local environmental charges to unsustainable levels - why because the government is pushing more and more of traditional government costs onto local bodies.
We struggle to pay some of the highest amenities bills in the world now – electricity, gas and water bills because of the need to make returns for their shareholders, the government owned ones have to return profit to our government.

The government sold so much of our assets, our profit making industries like coal corp, Marston Point, Glenbrook our rail roads (for a quarter their worth), our banks – as much as they could saying “what business has a government got running a business”.

Well what bloody business has a government got chucking millions of our money at a bunch of privileged people so they can spend their days in the med sailing?

Mallard tried to justify it by saying they needed the $10 million to prevent these fine kiwis from going and sailing for someone else, like the rest of the trader bastards.
Well if that’s how shallow their pride is for representing their country then I say let them piss off – wankers.
He said there is a return on the millions spent with tourism and business opertunities! For who I ask, for the rich and well healed multinationals, his mates who purchased our assets for next to nothing and now live the life of luxury.
Try spending the $60 - $70 million on advertising and promoting NZ as a tourist destination – I bet you'll get more people coming here for a holiday than the exposure you’d get from loosing a boat race in the middle of the Med.

[riffer]

Yeah, I agree to pretty much everything there.

Remember it next year; it's election time.

[u4ea]

Blimmen well said...Even if we won the cup would $35 million be justified.??I feel the government is justified in spending on an international "sport" but have to agree that the amount is rather excessive.It won't stop the sailors being spoilt turncoats in the least anyway!!!Money is well spent promoting the tourism of our country and research and developement(our boys developed the weather bouy) but where does it end??I think the armed forces could do with a bit of funding to protect us at the moment and yes feed the hungry and tend to the sick!!But hey.......what do we know?? We are the sheep that have to adhere to the politicians wims....

[FROSTY:Me]

thinking of the number of decent teachers,nurses or doctors that 35 million would pay for 4 years
Mind you we diddnt say squat when the guvmint sotted A1 Gp a mill or so to run a race here

[jester67]

OK. I'm pissed off. The vast majority of yachts that go out on weekends are kept for years and end up costing a damn site less than most peoples motor cycle habits. Yachting is not elitist - try it once and you might find out. Most skippers are over the moon to get regular crew.

For the price of a Rocket III or a new Duke I could have a very pleasant yacht that I could race competitively against a great deal of others.

35M sounds like a lot especially when it is followed by another 10M. Maybe the King brothers would get similar funding if we had a massive and highly lucrative motorcycle building business in Auckland. Try looking up Cookson, McMullen and Wing, Marten Spars, Southern Spars, Alloy Yachts, Salthouse Marine etc etc to name but a few of the businesses that are going flat out exporting (despite the position of the kiwi dollar). NZ's boat building business is as big as the wine industry so stop bleating about a measly 45 Mill.