Year of Events will enhance our city's global reputation

Nick Hill. Photo / Supplied

Auckland is busily preparing for its biggest events programme next year that will attract hundreds of thousands of visitors.

Bookending 2021 is the 36th America's Cup presented by Prada and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Leaders Week. In between, there are five world championships and a host of other events.

"Next year is enormous for the city," says Nick Hill, chief executive of Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (Ateed). "Through the variety of events, we have the opportunity to present Auckland's uniqueness to the world and enhance its international reputation as a place for visiting, studying and investing.

"We can tell our story of an emerging cutting-edge city located in a physically stimulating environment.

"We want the visitors to experience our inclusivity, our creativity, our progressiveness, and our manaakitanga [of being friendly and welcoming].

"The increased level of activity will provide a significant boost to the retail and hospitality sectors," Hill says. "There will be a lot of interesting and important people in Auckland during the year and this also provides an opportunity to attract the right kind of investment into our emerging industries like technology and the green economy such as waste management and water quality.

"How Auckland presents itself is hugely important because cities nowadays are competing for talent and capital — not just bringing it in but retaining what they've got. We want knowledgeable people to invest in industries of the future and help local companies develop and grow.

"We can 'internationalise' our intellectual property and research and development, and create wealth and long-term economic value for the benefit of all Aucklanders."

Ateed is co-ordinating co-operation with city agencies on matters such as traffic control and security, and is developing a full management plan for Auckland 2021, including organising supporting activities and activations like fan zones, to ensure the events are delivered safely and successfully.

The year kicks off with the AC36 Prada Cup challenger series from January 15 to February 24, straight after the ASB tennis classics. The 36th America's Cup Match involving Emirates Team New Zealand will be raced on five Waitematā Harbour courses from March 6-21.

The Sydney to Auckland yacht race sails in from January 30 to February 5, and the global Wild in Art festival gets under way in 70 locations in Auckland on February 1, finishing on March 28.

The world championships are the 12th ICC Women's World Cup cricket, staged from February 6 to March 7 — Auckland is a host venue; the WBSC World Men's softball at Albany AWF Sports Stadium from February 18-28; the World Surf League Challenger Series starring 11 times champion Kelly Slater at Piha in March and April; the ICF World under-23 canoe slalom at Vector Wero White Water Park in Manukau; and the 9th Women's Rugby World Cup in Auckland and Whangārei from September 18 to October 16.

The biennial Te Matatini kapa haka competition from February 22-27 , the Auckland Lantern Festival from February 24-28, Pasifika Festival March 6-7 and Auckland Diwali Festival in October will attract thousands of visitors, as will the All Black tests in August and September.

The year of big events will culminate with the Apec Food Security Week, the Women in the Economy forum, and the Leaders' Summit from November 8-14. World leaders and ministers of trade and foreign affairs and their officials, youth, business leaders and international media from 21 countries — expected to total 10,000 people — will attend that week. It is a once-in-20 year investment and trade and political opportunity for Auckland and New Zealand.

One of the features of the upcoming America's Cup will be having the racing courses close to shore.

"The scope and significance of these events have never been seen in Auckland before," Hill says.

He is chairing the Joint Chief Executives Group, involving Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ), the Crown and Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), mana whenua and other council-controlled organisations to ensure the $250 million, two-month long America's Cup regatta runs smoothly.

MBIE is overseeing the leverage and legacy to follow up the many opportunities created by the event and mass of visitors, ETNZ and its subsidiary America's Cup Events (ACE) are organising the Prada-designed village and racing, and Ateed is leading the on-land event planning and city integration, as well as being concerned with the infrastructure development through Wynyard Edge Alliance.

"One of the features is having the racing courses so close to shore," says Hill. "Previously you'd watch way out in the distance.

"People will be able to watch from Devonport around to Orakei and Mission Bay, and it makes an extremely exciting proposition.

"The racing will take place between 4 and 6pm and this has great implications for crowd and traffic management and communication. Lake Rd to Devonport and Tamaki Drive are two of the most congested routes in Auckland and how we manage the crowd and traffic will be crucial.

"On water, when you are putting foiling monohulls doing 100km an hour on a tight course, you can expect a lot of operational planning and risk management."

The America's Cup will be broadcast free-to-air on TVNZ, and Hill says with the advent of 5G and augmented reality the viewing of the racing will be enhanced. ETNZ has its own broadcasting services to distribute footage overseas.

"One of the big benefits that is unquantifiable is the profile Auckland and New Zealand gets as a technologically-advanced city and country by showing Formula One-type racing on water and the images of Waitematā Harbour and Hauraki Gulf. That's worth an awful lot."

Eighteen months ago the dominating issue between council and central government was funding and delivering the needed infrastructure for the event, he says.

"It's all but done and we are starting to wind down Wynyard Edge Alliance [a group of construction and engineering firms]."

Hobson Wharf has been extended 70 metres for the Challenger of Record Luna Rossa base, the outer Viaduct Harbour and Wynyard Basin have been dredged and six new breakwaters added, Wynyard Wharf has been reinforced with concrete for the cranes to launch the million-dollar yachts, and more than 50 oil tanks/steel silos were cleared from Wynyard Point for other challenger team bases.

New superyacht berths have been added at North Wharf — up to 100 of them and their crews are expected to be in town for the America's Cup — and the landmark Te Wero pedestrian drawbridge is due to be replaced by a wider, architecturally-designed structure to cater for more people.

At the moment 13,000 pedestrians and 750 cyclists cross the bridge each day.

Auckland Council is spending an additional $100m through its long-term plan to improve the waterfront, including upgrading Quay St and the Daldy St stormwater outfall, and developing a new Sealink site.

The America's Cup is expected to attract up to 130,000 visitors including 25,000 from overseas, and reap about $760m for Auckland and New Zealand, with a lot of that going into the marine, retail, accommodation and hospitality sectors.

New hotels such as the Park Hyatt, Horizon, Sudima, So/ Sofitel, Ramada Victoria and The Pacific have been developed in time for the America's Cup to cater for the influx of visitors.

"The beautiful thing will be having Aucklanders reconnecting to the waterfront at the time of the America's Cup — I think they will be stunned by what they see," says Hill.