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A bitter dispute between Team New Zealand and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment ended suddenly, and MBIE agreed that a $ 3 million payment to the team by its events division was made in good faith.
The dispute erupted mid-year after an audit of how the America’s Cup Event Limited team’s events arm had spent MBIE’s contribution to the cost of the event.
ACE said the $ 3 million partially covered the NZ team’s cost in creating the radical foiled AC75 monohull class, but MBIE wouldn’t take it.
In a short and cryptic statement, MBIE said: “MBIE agrees that the expenses incurred to date under the HVA (Host Host Agreement) have been made in good faith.”
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“MBIE is satisfied that ACE has or will adequately incur the investment of the event in relation to the Crown contribution.”
While the statement makes no specific reference to broader disagreements that will be decided by mediation, Stuff understand that all pending disputes between Team NZ, ACE and MBIE have ended.
Without attribution to anyone, the MBIE statement read: “We regret the way this issue has played out in the public arena and the negative impact of the process on the reputation of ETNZ and ACE, their directors and teams.”
Hannah Peters / Getty Images
Grant Dalton and the New Zealand team had been in dispute with MBIE.
MBIE’s unattributed statement came a week after the Ministry released information to Stuff showing that the former minister responsible for the America’s Cup, Phil Twyford, wanted a change at the top of the event.
In August, days before the release of the final audit that refuted whistleblower allegations against the team, MBIE Tourism General Manager Iain Cossar sent a text message to Executive Director Carolyn Tremain.
He wrote: “Min Twyford was relaxed. Happy to publicly disagree on one-time design costs ”- a reference to $ 3 million of ACE transferred to Team NZ as an event cost for the creation of the AC75 vessel design.
“[Twyford’s] interested in seeing independent CEOs and a new president, but not married to the latter. However, eager for independent board members to heed Crown’s findings (sic), “it probably means oversight of Crown’s funds.
The reference to a new chair meant replacing the ACE Tina Symmans chair.
Team NZ has spent months preparing for what appeared to be a lengthy mediation process, over what it saw as MBIE’s inappropriate handling of whistleblower complaints, which were not disclosed to them until June.
However, a week ago at the opening of the America’s Cup Village, new Minister for Economic Development Stuart Nash spoke out strongly in favor of the leadership of Team NZ and ACE.
“People likes it [Team NZ chair] Sir Stephen Tindall, like Grant Dalton, like Tina Symmans have done an incredible job, taking us from where we were, in extremely difficult conditions, to where we are now, ”said Nash. Stuff.
“Hats off to them, they have done a fantastic job,” he said.
Neither Team New Zealand nor MBIE wanted to comment further.
