Watch: Tātaki Auckland Unlimited chief executive Nick Hill explains why SailGP has decided not to race in Auckland next year.
The unavailability of a spectator facility has seen Auckland withdraw from hosting SailGP in March 2024.
Tātaki Auckland Unlimited chief executive Nick Hill said they worked with SailGP to explore all possible options to stage the event.
Wynyard Point land as a spectator facility was part of SailGP's original vision for the sailing competition.
However, its unavailability proved to be a barrier to holding the event, leaving SailGP needing a new venue.
He told a media briefing on Wednesday: "We're confirming the fact that Sail GP's not going to be happening in Auckland this year.
"We've worked hard with Russell Coutts and the Sail GP team to find a way to hold the event the way that Russell wants to hold it - that's in the middle of the harbour, with a stand on the side of the harbour - it's just not possible to do that this year."
"We hope we can do it in the future."
He said the land that Coutts wanted to use for that stand - at Wynyard Point - was not available.
That is where the old tank farm was, he said.
"The tanks have been removed and there's a quite a complicated process to hand the land back to the council because of the potential for contamination.
"From a health and safety point of view, until we've completed that remediation process - or Eke Panuku has - it's not safe to assume you could put a stand there."
He said "all sorts of other options around the harbour" had been explored with Sail GP.
"At the end of the day, Russell and the sponsors of Sail GP don't believe they can put the event on in a way that they want to."
He said all major events were complex, "and particularly when you put an event on in the middle of the harbour".
"Something like the FIFA World Cup is years in the planning, so we'll work through all of this with Sail GP and we'll come up with a model that works in Auckland.
"It does mean that the funding we would've put into Sail GP is now available and there's plenty of demand and ideas on how we might use that over the next 12 months."
He said he was disappointed.
"I think a lot of people look forward to the event, it's a fantastic event to be a spectator at, but look, there's plenty of other things - we've got the Moana Festival happening at the same time, this was just one event that was part of that.
"I think we were looking at GDP in the order of about $5 million [for SailGP]."
"That's value that would've been created by having the event here."
He said the event would not have been the way Coutts envisioned it if one of the alternative sites proposed had been used.
The issues with using the land Sail GP wanted to use in Auckland were identified months ago.
"When the issues were raised they looked at other options around how they might do it, came back to 'no, we want Wynyard Point, there's nothing that matches that in terms of the value to the event', and that's when you're working through, well, what would it take to get that available?"
"At the end of the day, it just couldn't come together."
He added: "I think GP is quite influenced by F1 and the experience around F1 and they want their sponsors to be able to experience that kind of thing."
Impact on Auckland revenue
The SailGP competition was expected to generate a revenue of $5 million to Auckland, with more than 5000 people predicted to attend the event.
The cancellation left another gap in an already short events calendar for next year, with the CCO struggling to work with a tight budget given by mayor Wayne Brown.
Hill said the funding would now be used in other events.
"The funding we would have put into SailGP is now available, and there's plenty of demand and ideas on how we might use that over the next 12 months.
"For example, the Coldplay announcement over the weekend is because we've actually got a bit more funding now to support them coming here."
He said the loss of the event next year would not stop it from being held in Auckland in the future.
"I'd be very hopeful that this time next year we will be announcing that the land would be available, and we wouldn't be having this conversation.
"From here we'll be talking to Russell [Coutts] about what we might do next year."
In a statement, SailGP New Zealand said it continued to work with its partners.
"Including relevant local and central government agencies, to progress planning for its season-four New Zealand event in March 23-24, 2024.
"We will share more information as soon as it is available."
The SailGP is in its second year of a four-year deal to host alternative regattas Lyttelton and Auckland.
Thousands of spectators turned out earlier this year to watch the racing at Christchurch's Lyttelton Harbour.
