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One notable difference between New Zealand and the United States is the accessibility of politicians. Then again, the national elections are Nov. 27, so the phenomenon may be fleeting.
Nonetheless, my co-workers and I had a chance encounter with one of New Zealand's top political leaders at the Team New Zealand boat launching. She agreed to answer a couple of quick questions, and one of my co-workers recorded us.
The woman explained how pleased she was that the America's Cup will put New Zealand on the map and that the country will reap economic benefits from the event.
She was gracious and accommodating — even in the face of ignorance. When she began to step away, my co-worker pushed the microphone closer to her and asked with a straight face: "And you are?"
The woman smiled primly and replied, "Jenny Shipley, prime minister of New Zealand."
Yes, the prime minister, with just two bodyguards, was out rubbing elbows with the masses, and I squeezed in a productive interview, despite my colleague's embarrassing faux pas. Besides, he was the audio tech and could be excused for not knowing who she was. Those who could not be excused were several members of the esteemed White House press corps who did not know New Zealand's prime minister was a woman. Initially, they thought the PM was her husband, Burt.
I was told by a tourism official that many in this group of allegedly professional news gatherers were surprised New Zealand had such a large, modern city as Auckland. Apparently they were expecting a quaint little village surrounded by pastoral meadows populated by countless sheep. It’s in those moments that I am not proud to have been born in the USA.
Ignorance notwithstanding, Shipley is quite happy to have those of us born in the USA in New Zealand for the America's Cup. Tourism is one of New Zealand's top five revenue producers — roughly US$2 billion last year. (I don’t need to tell you the top industry involves some 77 million sheep, do I?) The America's Cup alone is expected to have an economic impact of — depending on who's fiddling with the numbers — as much as US$400 million.
"I think in tourism terms the America's Cup is of unlimited value," Shipley says. "If we can create that image and that sense of the New Zealand experience, it will draw a lot of people over the next three to five years."
One person New Zealand has drawn Down Under is the man Kiwis love to hate — San Diego’s own four-time Cup winner Dennis Conner. Rumors have been circulating that Dirty Dennis wants to become Citizen Conner. Close, but no cigar, reports Team Dennis Conner spokeswoman Emma Dalzell. "He has New Zealand residency," she says. "It means he can live and work here as long as he wants."
If he's here long enough, he can even vote. Maybe that’s why the prime minister dropped in on DC's gift shop and purchased a pair of Stars & Stripes boxer shorts — for her son. (No, they were not autographed. DC autographs most things these days, but he draws the line there, Dalzell says.)
He's already a property owner, an investor in the Watermark apartment development in Auckland. I am told by Kiwis in the know that if DC does become a citizen, it’s likely he would quickly be nominated for knighthood. Imagine — Sir Dennis.
Maybe that’s why DC is PC these days, PC as in philanthropically correct. He's involved in a number of charitable causes here. He works with the local children's hospital, as well as youth sailing programs. And next month he's opening his compound to a group that teaches disabled children and adults to ride horses. The breakfast meeting — at NZ$200 a plate — will be catered courtesy of DC. The group keeps all the proceeds.
Then again, maybe it’s just his way of saying thanks. "It’s so nice to be where people really like you and like the sailing," Conner says. "I think there's no place in the world where I’ve ever been where people are so nice and friendly and like the competitors. It makes you wish you had that back home."
He has received more local support for his America's Cup campaign in Auckland than he did in San Diego, says Bill Trenkle, president of Team DC.
"Local companies in Auckland are eager to support us, unlike San Diego," Trenkle says.
Kiwis helping DC to take the Cup away? Maybe not. If he wins, he just may want to defend it in his new hometown. Which would make Prime Minister Shipley very pleased. He has her vote.
Larry M. Edwards is a San Diego journalist in New Zealand working on the official America's Cup Website, www.americascup.org. While there, he has promised to regularly send New Zealand Notes.
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