Billed as a two-day spectacle of exhilarating races and entertainment, there's much discussion amongst locals about the impact SailGP will have on the small coastal village.
Large crowds of fans are expected to be drawn by the thrill of high-stakes, high-speed racing catamarans on hydrofoils.
Some residents are concerned about plans to handle the increase in vehicle traffic.
But Ken Maynard, Chair of the Lyttleton Community Association, believes the plans are necessary.
“I think that SailGP are making a real effort to minimise the impact on the locals", Maynard said.
"And the business about the traffic management plan is basically to stop mayhem happening on the two days of the racing.”
Vehicle entry during the regatta will only be permitted for Lyttleton residents, using special vehicle passes.
Lyttelton Business Association Chair Vickie Tahau Patton says the inconvenience is for only two days, and said people shouldn't lose sight of what the event represents.
“This is for SailGP. This is going to be on the world stage through, through everywhere", she said.
"And so, the impact that it’ll have on New Zealand, not just here and Banks Peninsula or Lyttelton is phenomenal.”
The new event has already brought benefits to the area, before the racing even hits the water.
The Christchurch City Council has redeveloped the dilapidated Naval Point area as a viewing area, and is putting in new roading and footpaths leading to the previously under-developed part of Lyttelton's harbour basin.
- John Spurdle, Public Interest Journalism Fund
