America's Cup: Latest lockdown spurs questions on sailing media entry to NZ
by Radio NZ 14 Aug 2020 22:03 PDT
15 August 2020
North Head marks the entrance to the inner Waitemata Harbour and is mid-point on America's Cup course 'C' and is expected to be one of the premier vantage points for Cup fans. © Richard Gladwell / Sail-World.com
The New Zealand Government's Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) said decisions were yet to be made about whether international media would be able to enter New Zealand for the event, but strict rules would apply.
They included a limited number of exemptions to border restrictions and media representatives would have to pay for their quarantine.
The lead up was scheduled to start in four months, with the last of the America's Cup World Series events scheduled for Auckland in December.
The World Series were match races and fleet regattas staged overseas throughout the year as heats leading up to the main event.
The series to decide the Cup challenger would follow in January, before the event proper in March.
A spokesperson for Emirates Team New Zealand, the America's Cup defender, said the dates of the America's Cup Match were fixed and would not change.
"The ultimate decision on the America's Cup lies with the Defender Emirates Team New Zealand, as the America's Cup rights holder and ACE - the event management arm continues to look at all event scenarios at all levels and will adapt as required," ETNZ said in a statement.
MBIE manager of New Zealand major events Susan Sawbridge said media coverage was an important component of the America's Cup, but it was too early to say if Covid-19 would disrupt entry to New Zealand by foreign media.
She said representatives of broadcast and media outlets had to apply for the necessary border exceptions before gaining entry to New Zealand.
"Until those applications are received, and decisions are made about whether international media will be able to enter New Zealand, it's too early to talk about any potential impacts on the event."
Sawbridge said government policy on border exemptions was clear, and there were a limited number of exceptions that would be made.
"The bar for being granted an exception to the border restrictions is set high to help stop the spread of Covid-19 and protect the health of people already in New Zealand.
"All individuals must meet the strict border exception criteria to be granted an exception; Immigration New Zealand has no ability to apply discretion when considering requests."
Once granted a border exception, all international arrivals into New Zealand were required to go into managed isolation.
"In line with the government policy, any arrivals for broadcast or media associated with the 36th America's Cup will be charged fees aligned with the recently introduced fee structure," Sawbridge said.
For the full report click here
Sail-World: Currently the fees structure is free for NZ residents returning to live permanently
For all others it is a charge of approximately $3,000. Quarantine must be spent (14 days) in a NZ Govt designated facility (usually a four or five star hotel with full room service and meals etc), under military or similar supervision.
AC36 Technical SetupIt takes a lot of kit to broadcast the America's Cup to the world! ????
All set up and bench-tested, and now the mammoth job of packing three containers for shipping to New Zealand. Then the broadcast centre set up and testing begins in the coming months.
#AmericasCup #AC36 #AKL2021
Posted by America's Cup on Thursday, 13 August 2020