Prime minister, I’m sure we all agree that this past weekend, Aotearoa New Zealand has definitely been on show to the world.
The Black Caps, White Ferns, Silver Ferns, Paddle Ferns, Hayden Wilde and, starting that weekend rolling, Emirates Team New Zealand.
This has quite rightly been described as one of the greatest weekends in New Zealand sport and very few people would disagree.
All of us here in Barcelona were glued to our devices as we watched these amazing results come through from around the world. On Sunday I saw thousands of New Zealanders flooding the streets of this wonderful city, carrying their New Zealand flags that little bit higher, and with even more pride.
As the debate about where the next America’s Cup should be held starts to heat up again, it is worth noting that all but one of those sporting successes last weekend happened off shore, perhaps the most significant being the Black Caps pulling off their victory in the country you are working hard to sort a trade deal with, India.
Perhaps there is a lesson to be learned from what Emirates Team New Zealand has achieved here in Barcelona.
I know the team will stand proudly alongside all of the other sporting heroes that made this such a wonderful weekend of sport, but this is more than a sports team.
This has been one of the most technically advanced America’s Cup races in the 173-year history of the cup and to win it Grant Dalton and his team of scientists and engineers had to take on the might of the Mercedes F1 racing team, not to mention Alinghi and the Red Bull F1 team.
ETNZ is not only a sports team — it is up there as one of the most advanced technology companies in Aotearoa, and on Monday as I shared a glass of sangria with a couple of the team members from Alinghi Red Bull, that was at the top of the conversation.
How do we do this from down at the bottom of the world where we are supposed to farm sheep and make wine?
There are 150 people behind the eight-man crew on the water, many of them world leaders in their field of design, engineering and technology. All of them would be guaranteed more money if they signed with any of the other teams.
So instead of saying they have deserted New Zealand, let’s acknowledge the loyalty they have shown, some for over 20 years.
Then there are the technology companies that have been involved in delivering the coverage of the cup to the fans.
Virtual Eye is the one cited most often for our graphics, but nothing we deliver could happen without the sophisticated Race Management System built by Brent and Kylie from Dunedin-based company Igtimi. In fact, if their platform didn’t work there would be no racing at all.
We all marvelled at the amazing aerial shots that have been a huge feature of the television coverage. I wonder how many people knew the hi-tech gyro stabilised cameras on the helicopters were designed and built in Queenstown?
Dalton and his team have painted you a new canvas upon which to promote Aotearoa New Zealand to the world and the time to move on that is now.
So here’s an idea for you to consider and, if the next cup is going to be in 2026, you will need to move fast.
Instead of the back and forth around staging the cup in Auckland, let’s look at how the government could use this stage to invest in the New Zealand story, anywhere on the global stage.
Perhaps the first step could be to offer the team some branding sponsorship to acknowledge the value it brings by continuing to include the name New Zealand in its brand, despite the lack of funding from the New Zealand government.
The next step could be to allocate a budget to someone like Sir Richard Taylor at Weta Workshop and get him to use his world-leading technology to create a New Zealand Pavilion that tells the story we want told to the world that would be set up where ever the next cup is to be staged.
The story of a nation born of sailors that began by using state-of-the-art waka 3500 years ago to cross the largest expanse of open water on the planet, guided by the stars, sun and ocean currents. A voyage described as the greatest story in the history of human migration, culminating today in Peter Beck’s Rocket Lab sending state of the art waka back to the stars that brought our ancestors here in the first place.
Again, how many people would know that only two countries in the world, the United States and China, launched more rockets into space last year than New Zealand? That record, courtesy of Beck and Rocket Lab from Mahia Peninsula on the east coast.
Those are some of the myriad innovative technology stories we could tell off the back of what the Emirates Team New Zealand has done. Tie that to the huge contribution made by Ngati Whatua Orākei here in Barcelona and you will have a truly unique story and message to share with the world.
I know that you have often joked in the past that I always say I have ‘‘a simple idea’’ — but they never are. Well, I really think this one is.
Take a simple sponsorship package acknowledging the New Zealand name and brand the team carries, and then provide funding to create a New Zealand exhibition that becomes a must see, and a base from which New Zealand businesses can host clients from around the world.
I note the King Felipe VI of Spain called Dalton within hours of the race finishing and followed up with a letter congratulating Team New Zealand on a victory that he said should inspire all New Zealanders.
Apparently the response from New Zealand was — give us a call and we will pick up the phone.
Dalton doesn’t need to call anyone. He has done the hard yards. We need to get on the phone to him, acknowledge what he and his team have achieved and put forward a simple proposition that is a win-win for his team and the country.
How hard can that be? If you need a hand with that I am more than happy to help.
■ Sir Ian Taylor is founder and managing director of Dunedin company Animation Research.
