With Team New Zealand’s defence of the Auld Mug successfully wrapped up, attention has already turned to the next America’s Cup regatta.
A new challenge for the Cup has been accepted , with that process beginning on the water as soon as Team New Zealand sailed to victory over Luna Rossa.
Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron general manager Hayden Porter won’t say who that challenger is yet, however 1 NEWS understands it is the Royal Yacht Squadron in Portsmouth, represented on the water by Ineos Team UK.
There’s no guarantee the next America’s Cup will be held in New Zealand, although the Government has already reaffirmed its financial commitment to Team New Zealand subject to several conditions , including an expectation the Cup will be defended in Aotearoa.
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff is also backing his city as the next venue, saying that while Auckland didn’t get the expected return on investment this time due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the infrastructure is now in place for future regattas.
Team New Zealand skipper Peter Burling said yesterday defending the America’s Cup on home waters was “absolutely unreal” compared to winning it four years ago in Bermuda. He said it’s hard to beat the Hauraki Gulf.
"I don't think you can think of a much more special environment than this.”
Luna Rossa is also likely to be back at the next America’s Cup. Co-helmsman Jimmy Spithill added he would be “shocked” if the next America’s Cup defence wasn’t held in New Zealand.
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Thousands celebrate win
Fans went wild at the America's Cup Village as Peter Burling hoisted the famous trophy in the air last night.
Te Rehutai and her Team New Zealand crew were given a hero’s welcome as they sailed into Auckland's Viaduct Harbour following the final race, with thousands lining the waterfront.
With the team requesting no ticker tape parade this time around, a fireworks show instead took place over the Hauraki Gulf last night.
Ten arrested in Auckland raids
People linked to a “high-end” money laundering operation are due to appear in court.
Police executed a dozen search warrants in Auckland yesterday, making 10 arrests and seizing more than $10 million worth of assets. Four properties and three vehicles have been impounded, as well as the contents of more than 20 bank accounts and cryptocurrency.
Those due in court range in age from 32 to 70.
Police say the operation should serve as a warning that they are increasingly targeting the money trails that fund the importation of drugs.
Police probe motive for shootings
A man accused of killing eight people , most of them women of Asian descent, in Atlanta massage parlours yesterday has told police the attack was not racially motivated .
Police say 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long has “some issues”, including potential sexual addiction.
Authorities are still investigating whether the deaths were a hate crime, however police say “the indicators right now are it may not be". They believe Long “frequented these places in the past and may have been lashing out”.
The attack was the sixth mass killing in the US this year.
Vaccinations could reach 50k a day
Dr Ashley Bloomfield has reassured Kiwis there will be enough workers to administer the Covid-19 vaccine, with a possibility the vaccination rate could hit 50,000 jabs a day from July.
His comments follow questioning from National MP Simon Watts over the number of workers able to deliver the vaccine.
It comes as officials reveal around 500 MIQ and border workers have already received their second dose of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine, with more than 90 per cent of that workforce vaccinated with their first dose.
The Government also revealed prisoners will be among those receiving early access to the Pfizer vaccine due to concerns the virus can spread quickly amongst them.
They will join the third priority group, which includes people aged over 65 and those with underlying health conditions or disabilities.
Meanwhile RNZ reports some rural health workers are turning down their chance for a vaccine because it entails hours of travel . They fear it’s a signal for what might come for New Zealand’s wider rural community.
Child sex offenders back on register
The Government has taken urgent action to fix a 2016 botch-up that saw hundreds of people taken off the Child Sex Offender Register earlier this year.
Nearly 600 offenders will now be put back on the register after MPs rushed through a retrospective law change in Parliament last night.
Other news of note this morning:
- Stuff reports Cabinet could decide as soon as next week to open a trans-Tasman travel bubble from mid-April.
- Australia is sending thousands of AstraZeneca vaccine doses to Papua New Guinea as the country struggles with a dramatic spike in Covid-19 cases.
- Police are investigating after a series of tweets were sent in the lead-up to the second anniversary of the Christchurch terror attack, including ones referring to the terrorist as a "saint" and a "hero".
- Carterton District Council has placed an indefinite boil water notice on the town supply after another positive reading for E coli.
- The head of Universities New Zealand says university accommodation providers could have responded better to last year’s national lockdown
- Instagram is adding a new safety feature to protect minors from unwanted messages from adults.
- Juno star Elliot Page has spoken to Time magazine, saying he’s finally able to embrace who he is after coming out as transgender.
- And what is going on during this interview with English rugby player Max Lahiff? Your guess is as good as mine, but it’s infinitely more entertaining than your usual sideline chat.
And finally...
With another America’s Cup campaign done and dusted, 1 NEWS presenter Melissa Stokes has looked back at New Zealand’s long history with sport’s oldest trophy.
You can watch that trip down memory lane, including Plastic Fantastic, lucky red socks, sinking boats, snapped masts, and a 2013 regatta we shan’t dwell on, here .
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