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Speaker 1: All right, we're not getting the America's Cup orkand Unlimited

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Speaker 1: yesterday announced it's not going any further because the government

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Speaker 1: won't put any money in seventy five million. They say,

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Speaker 1: how did the city CEO of Beck joins me? Now? Hi,

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Speaker 1: VICV Hello. A lot of people, a lot of people

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Speaker 1: upset about the same golden opportunity wasted. Do you believe that?

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Speaker 2: Yeah? Well, yes, that's exactly what we said. To be honest,

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Speaker 2: it is a not golden opportunity list, but.

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Speaker 1: It's seventy five million dollars and we are poor right now?

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Speaker 1: What do you say to that?

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Speaker 2: But remember when we spoke a few weeks ago, I

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Speaker 2: talked about how much effort has gone into raising the

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Speaker 2: importance of major event and alternative forms of funding. So

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Speaker 2: I think the biggest disappointment is that there has been

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Speaker 2: from us and many others of significant effort gone into

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Speaker 2: saying that we do need to find alternative ways. Suggestions

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Speaker 2: were made, and this opportunity. The reason it's so disappointing

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Speaker 2: is it's right for the picking. I mean, we've got

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Speaker 2: the infrastructure, the economic benefits would be there, and if

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Speaker 2: they had been quicker action on finding alternative funding, I mean,

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Speaker 2: we understand that there are other priorities of government, but

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Speaker 2: growth is also a big opportunity, a big priority, and

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Speaker 2: you know the reality is that the GST alone could

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Speaker 2: pay for that money. So I think with some imagination

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Speaker 2: and will and determination it would have been it could

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Speaker 2: have been a different result.

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Speaker 1: And it's not just an auckland and a sailing, you

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Speaker 1: know topic. Steve ARMATAGM Hospitality in New Zealand says we

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Speaker 1: need a nationwide strategy to attract events instead of our

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Speaker 1: piecemeal region by regional approach or event by event approach.

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Speaker 2: Do you agree absolutely? I mean, I think the look,

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Speaker 2: we've got a lot of great work going on in

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Speaker 2: that space, and there's a lot of expertise. So I

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Speaker 2: don't want to knock the work that is done for

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Speaker 2: the limited funding. But we know we don't compete internationally

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Speaker 2: now often we don't. We're a small country. We get that.

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Speaker 2: But I think we do have to have the energy

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Speaker 2: and drive and will to try and find ways to

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Speaker 2: actually grow this because you know we do. Events are

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Speaker 2: a great way of attracting people here. It's not just

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Speaker 2: a one time wonder that people come and have a

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Speaker 2: great time. I mean the benefits from CRADE and jobs,

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Speaker 2: international profile. You look at Barcelona, I mean, imagine if

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Speaker 2: we had that in twenty twenty seven, something along those lines,

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Speaker 2: at a part where we really do need to have

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Speaker 2: something that actually excites people, that we actually are growing

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Speaker 2: and not just full of problems.

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Speaker 1: VeVe Beck and I thank you so much for getting

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Speaker 1: up earlier.

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Speaker 2: For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live

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