No Auckland return for SailGP in 2027

There will be no Auckland event on the 2027 SailGP calendar after the New Zealand government declined to contribute sufficient funding to make it happen. “We can confirm that the New Zealand Sail Grand Prix in Auckland will not feature on the 2027 Season SailGP calendar, following an inability to finalise an agreement for the coming season,” a SailGP spokesperson told The Foil.

While the Auckland mayor, Wayne Brown, and other city officials have said they’re disappointed for the event not going ahead in January, the national government said it can’t justify continuing to provide funding in the way that it had done since 2023.

Co-founder and wing trimmer of the Black Foils SailGP team, Blair Tuke commented on his team’s social media: “Of course this one's the best for us as a New Zealand team. We love racing in front of our home fans. You know, it's part of who we are and we love racing in front of our home fans. It’s part of who we are and the support we've received has been huge, right from the inception of what was the New Zealand SailGP team through to the Black Foils and yeah, it'll be tough not to be here, but at the same time we're in this for the long run. 

“I’m confident of a return to New Zealand and at the same time we'll continue to grow as a team through either this year when we get back on the water, and next year. And it will make it that much more special when we get back on home waters.”

The failure to reach an agreement for an Auckland event will come as a blow to Sir Russell Coutts, not just because he’s a Kiwi but because he knows the importance of laying down a consistent calendar of events from year to year. Having competed in and presided over the management of the America’s Cup for more than 20 years, Coutts knows just how corrosive a lack of certainty and predictability can be for sporting events that want to be taken seriously as a commercially viable entity. 

With New Zealand being such a strong part of the league’s DNA, it’s hard to imagine SailGP without an NZ destination. Surely it will be back for 2028. But that’s not a given, because first and foremost the numbers need to stack up.

Meanwhile, we wait to learn when the Black Foils gets back on the water for this season. Following the catastrophic crash between New Zealand and France in front of the Auckland crowd in February, a new F50 is in build at SailGP Technologies in Southampton in the south of England for the eagerly-awaited return of Pete Burling and Blair Tuke’s team to competition this season.