America's Cup: TNZ boss Grant Dalton backing Pleasant Point earthquake rebuild

Emirates Team New Zealand CEO Grant Dalton kisses the America's Cup. Photo/Photosport

Team New Zealand boss Grant Dalton has thrown his support behind a Christchurch yacht club struggling to rebuild from the 2010 earthquake.

The Pleasant Point Yacht Club lost its headquarters in the natural disaster, probably the first of many earthquakes that have rocked the region since.

Dalton was approached by club officials during the recent America's Cup parade in Christchurch, and has offered his help to get the organisation back on its feet.

"We all read about it and felt for them," he told CTV News. "It's that sort of spirit that, as a team, we embody - the 'can-do' attitude of people.

"We just want to see the Pleasant Point Yacht Club back up and running as soon as possible, producing Peter Burlings and Glenn Ashbys and Blair Tukes. Amazing courage those people have shown.

"To hear today that they're working so hard to rebuild it so kids can get sailing again, that's really heart-warming."

Like much of post-quake Christchurch, the club currently operates out of two large cargo containers, but has ambitious plans to build a new headquarters.

"He's actually asked me to send him some details, which I believe will be tabled at an Emirates Team NZ board meeting in the not-too-distant future," said club official Nigel Humphreys.

"We need to raise about a million dollars - we have about a third of what we need - so it's a big amount of money.

"It involves building up the ground and bringing in the services from the street, which is a long distance. That cost, in itself, is quite a considerable amount, before we even put a stick of wood on top of the ground."