Open Letter another Act in America's Cup pantomine
by Richard Gladwell/Sail-World.com/nz 6 Mar 2018 16:35 PST
7 March 2018
Emirates Team NZ have been promosed a permanent base which will be their first since losing their own base builr for the 1995-2000 America's Cups © Richard Gladwell
Emirates Team NZ have responded to an Open Letter published as a paid advertisement in today's New Zealand Herald.
On their Facebook page, the America's Cup champions have claimed that the Minister, who is currently leading the Coalition Government's America's Cup negotiations, has offered them a permanent base.
The team wrote:
"An interesting letter in today's nzherald.co.nz Unfortunately the signatories wouldn't have known that Emirates Team New Zealand has an unconditional promise from Minister David Parker for a permanent legacy base on Hobson Wharf in a face to face meeting one month ago."
According to Radio New Zealand the Open Letter has been funded by octogenarian Stuart Smith who is also one of the lobby group signatories which claims their "Smart Solution ticks all the Boxes". Smith also funded a similar advertisement opposing the extension of Bledisloe Wharf in 2015. While that cause was also widely supported by the sailing community most have deserted the lobby group in its opposition to the Team New Zealand and Panuku Developments proposals.
The latest signatories are a mix of architects, individuals and so-called residents groups. Despite being approached prominent members of the sailing fraternity have declined to sign the so-called "call to action".
The "Architects" have devised a fifth plan for the Wynyard Point location. This one shows Emirates Team NZ's base on an extension to Halsey Street Wharf. The lobby groups have taken the stance of first reducing extensions to Halsey Street wharf, and then opposing the extensions altogether. Now the extensions have reappeared on the fifth variant of plans for the use of land on Wynyard Point.
The group have taken it on themselves to reduce the Challenger bases to just five Challenger bases - all are shown on Wynyard Point, with three of those bases on land not included in the Panuku Developments application lodged eight weeks ago. Submissions on that Application was extended on February 26 by two weeks to March 14, 2018.
Because the three new bases are not included in the Resource Consent Application lodged by Panuku Developments, a whole new Application will need to be lodged restarting a process which began over six months ago. That requires a complete re-work of a suite of 50 consulting documents and plans.
Emirates Team New Zealand signed off on the proposal passed by the Governing Body of Auckland Council on December 14, 2017. Most thought that was the end of the matter but Minister of Economic Development, David Parker has continued as though the Governing Body decision did not take place.
For any new application to succeed it would require the America's Cup holders, Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and their America's Cup team, to sign it off as being fit for purpose and deliverable within the required timeframe - before August 2019 to enable Challenging teams to set up and train in the summer of 2019/2020.
From comments made by Emirates Team NZ, and obvious to those with a modicum of understanding of the requirements of an America's Cup Regatta, that sign-off would be unlikely to be given for bases on Wynyard Point.
Contrary to the views of some, Team NZ doesn’t have endless supplies of money and can’t afford to sit on their hands waiting for a bunch of bureaucrats and politicians to make their minds up on a project (the redevelopment of Wynyard Point) which has nothing to do with staging an America’s Cup.
In the current exercise, the point seems to be overlooked that America’s Cup is a sailing regatta sailed and won on the water. It is not a town planning exercise at the end of which a regatta is held to celebrate the creation of a new piece of host city infrastructure.
After seeing the first Auckland Council Governing Body Meeting considering Cup options, in early September it was obvious there was only a 50/50 chance, even then, of the Cup being held in Auckland. A simple count of the voting numbers and comments confirmed that view.
Many didn't give that assessment any credibility, but now it looks very conservative. What we have now is the Minister and others apparently trying to frustrate a legally and properly made decision of the Governing Body of the Auckland Council. The Governing Body considered and rejected the Minister's and Wynyard Point activists views at its meeting of December 14. None of the signatories to today's Open Letter spoke at that meeting - even though there is a provision in the Agenda for them and anyone else to do so.
The “plan” published today is typical of what has passed for public debate - aided and abetted by the Labour-led Government and various pressure groups. Today’s plan has the bases reduced to five for the Challengers plus ETNZ. It doesn’t show anything other than an overhead view of what is claimed to be a supported by the group of architects and others.
Two other plans for Wynyard Point have made a grab for Site 18, apparently oblivious to the consequences of the loss of that facility for the superyacht servicing and marine industry generally.
The "Tick Boxes" attached to the plan claim that it is cheaper. Does that include the remediation cost of the former (and some current) fuel and hazardous tank facilities? At $50million a pop, probably not. Does it include the early break fees for Stolthaven and ASB? Probably not.
Their plan doesn’t show Brigham Street on the eastern side of Wynyard Point as being operative, yet there is still the need for access as they intend to keep the hazardous substances and fuel storage facility running for the 36th America’s Cup. The previous MBIE plan showed Brigham Street running through the middle of AC Challenger bases.
The Architects' plan still shows a substantial extension (probably 75 metres) to Halsey Street Wharf - something this group claims they oppose.
There is nothing to back up the claim that this proposal will save either time or money. A read of the early Panuku Developments and subsequent analysis shows that the various Wynyard Point options then under consideration are higher risk, higher cost and later in delivery date.
The claimed "iconic Harbour views" in the "Tick Boxes" are minimal (30 degrees of arc from the centre of North Wharf), and are not supported by accurate photographic evidence.
Quite how the Open Letter group can claim that their plan is less disruptive to existing and proposed uses of the area is difficult to understand. The group does not comment what the legacy uses could be. There are almost no existing recreational uses of the area - a Beca survey of harbour usage showed that of approximately 3000 traffic passings of the area just 15 came into the Halsey Street Wharf /Wynyard Point vicinity.
The fishing fleet said to be an "integral part of the life and character of our waterfront" is now a bunch of rust stained trawlers that are fast diminishing as the fishing quota for the Hauraki Gulf is reduced. The days of mullet boats, with their crews unloading baskets of fish, and singing sea-shanties as they repaired their nets have long gone.
While the "Architects" group support the de-industrialisation of Wynyard Point that laudable objective needs to be outside this project - and done within proper timelines - and without early contract break fees. Using the America's Cup as a crowbar for the re-development of Wynyard Point just places Auckland in jeopardy as the America's Cup Regatta venue and certainly will reduce the economic benefits through late base delivery after August 2019.
From their silence, there seems to be little real support from commercial interests in Auckland, outside of the marine industry, for an America’s Cup to be held in Auckland.
While this silence is maintained, the chances of the America’s Cup going to Italy can only increase, until one day New Zealand wakes up and the headline story is not about yet another scheme for the Cup bases, but that the Regatta has gone to the alternative venue, Italy.
No-one should be surprised at this development or the speed at which it happens.
Team NZ have been completely marginalised by the media, pressure groups and the silence of their many supporters.
That then raises the question - do Auckland and NZ really value one of the premier trophies in international sport and the right to defend in a home regatta?
The biggest mistake being made currently is the assumption that the 36th America's Cup will be held in NZ.
A disturbing aspect of all the current “debate” is how much is said by those who have never attended an America’s Cup outside NZ. Yet, they seem to be experts on the venue requirements and how the regatta and teams function.
Typical is the comment that ETNZ will get "the facilities they need rather than desire". It is incredibly arrogant and assumes that ETNZ is pushing some grandiose scheme - which is far from the case.
The solution proposed by the America's Cup team in mid-February would appear to be the least expensive, able to be delivered on time, and with the least risk of delay. It also fits within the already lodged Resource Consent Application. It also suits the working requirements of an America's Cup team.
So what is the problem? Other than the fact that site options on Wynyard Point were properly considered and rejected?
Former Auckland City Councillor Scott Milne was on deck during the planning phase of the Viaduct Harbour in the lead up to the 2000 America's Cup, and made these comments on the current process back in January 18, 2018 click here to listen
Submissions close on in seven days time Wednesday, March 14, 2018 - your input is very important and will help the team to stage a spectacular America's Cup in Auckland.
Please take 10 minutes to make a Submission in support of the Application by Clicking here for an online Submission form
For the full Resource Consent Application Click Here