SailGP drops Christchurch
A protected dolphin species has won the race between their safety, and the glory and economic benefit of Sail Grand Prix yacht racing in Lyttelton Harbour.
However, as advocates celebrate SailGP withdrawing from its 2025 Christchurch contract, a business leader questions whether ChristchurchNZ struck the right balance between protecting wildlife and making it practical for an event – which generated over $30 million for the region – to go ahead.
ChristchurchNZ, the city’s economic development agency, says it did everything it could to keep the event, while mayor Phil Mauger suggests the marine mammal management plan could be “massaged” to become more “user-friendly”.
The announcement that the 2025 event was axed came yesterday, almost three months after SailGP boss Sir Russell Coutts said the event would not return to Christchurch because “minority groups” were making things too difficult
His comments were made on the evening of the two-day event in March. The next day, racing was cancelled because Hector’s dolphins (a protected species) were spotted in the harbour.
Loren Aberhart, ChristchurchNZ’s manager of destination and attraction, said the agency did “everything we could to save this event”.
She said they gave SailGP a list of potential solutions to operational challenges, “however SailGP deemed those challenges to be insurmountable” in the timeframe required to make an announcement.
Aberhart said the need for marine mammal protection – the extent of which was a source of contention for SailGP – was exacerbated because the area is a sanctuary. Its residents, the endangered Hector’s dolphin, are protected by law.
Professor Liz Slooten, who has been studying Hector's dolphins for four decades, said the cancellation was proof the harbour was “more trouble than it’s worth” for organisers.
Even with rules requiring designated observers, it was possible dolphins were hurt in previous races, she said.
The decision was also hailed as “a win for the dolphins and for the dolphin advocates” by Christine Rose, chairperson of advocacy group Maui and Hector's Dolphin Defenders.
“Good planning would find another location that doesn’t threaten precious or fragile ... species,” she said.
However, Leeann Watson, head of Business Canterbury, was disappointed by the move.
She said SailGP gave Christchurch a unique opportunity to put itself on the map as a world-class host city, to an international audience of over 74 million people, not to mention the economic boost.
More than 6000 visitors came from
outside Canterbury to the event in March, Watson said, spending more than $3m. “The question still remains on whether or not we did strike the right balance with the constraints in the Lyttelton Harbour last time.”
Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger tried to talk Coutts around after his comments in March. Yesterday, he said although he didn’t know the exact reason why the event wasn’t returning, “the dolphin thing played into it”. “It certainly didn't help. It would have to have had a bearing on it.” Mauger wanted it to return. “It was, and I’m sure everyone will agree, a bloody fantastic event that put Christchurch on the map.”
On the other hand, Tyrone Fields, city councillor representing Banks Peninsula, said “there are heaps of great events in Lyttelton that are just as much fun, less disruptive and a hell of a lot cheaper for the city” than SailGP.
A SailGP spokesperson did not directly answer questions about why the decision was made and to what extent the protection of dolphins was a factor. However, the spokesperson said the organisation was talking with partners in New Zealand and overseas to finalise its schedule and it would be announced imminently.
ChristchurchNZ said it accepted SailGP’s decision to withdraw from the 2025 agreement, as it had fulfilled its original intention to host two events. It considered legal advice on whether break fees were due but decided against it, in part because ChristchurchNZ paid only $700,000 to host in 2024 – less than half of the $1.5m it paid to host 2023 – due to the short turnaround.
The total economic impact of the 2024 event on Canterbury was $33.7 million, according to a post-event report by Deloitte – about $15.5m from the gross expenditure of SailGP and competing teams.
It had been the world’s largest ticketed sailing event, attracting more than 20,000 attendees.
Previously, a SailGP spokesperson said Christchurch had “proven to be one of the very best destinations in our global racing championship”. Competitors loved the event, voting it the best location from their 2023 year of catamaran racing.
Coutts himself described Lyttelton Harbour as “a perfect venue for the stadium-style, inner harbour racing SailGP is known for”. He was approached for comment on the cancellation of the 2025 event.