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Speaker 1: So the Hurricanes are going to start the new season

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Speaker 1: with a different ownership model, and the change follows the

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Speaker 1: Wellington Rugby sale of its fifty percent stake in the club.

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Speaker 1: So what does this mean for fans and what does

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Speaker 1: it mean what can we expect to see at ground level?

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Speaker 1: I've got online interim Hurricanes CEO Tony Phelp who joins me.

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Speaker 2: Hello, Tony, get out Andrew, good morning, how are you

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Speaker 2: very good?

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Speaker 1: So what's the new model?

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Speaker 2: It's it's exciting ownership model where we've got Malcolm Gillies

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Speaker 2: and John and Peter with d s I who brought

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Speaker 2: fifty percent of the years from Wellington Rugby.

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Speaker 1: Right and who owns the other fifty percent? Just to

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Speaker 1: keep everybody in line?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, We've we've got still existing owners made up

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Speaker 2: of private ownership with a group called hy eleven. We've

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Speaker 2: also got ended our contribution and support from them as

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Speaker 2: well as some provincial Union board members. So between all

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Speaker 2: of that, we feel like we've got a really exciting and.

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Speaker 1: Balanced Okay, now, the Wellington Union sold their shares because

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Speaker 1: the franchise had racked up two million dollars worth of losses.

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Speaker 1: So my question is will this new ownership fix the

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Speaker 1: situation and why is the franchise losing so much money?

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Speaker 2: So I think it's as we all know, rugby's had

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Speaker 2: a difficult few years and you know, there's certainly some

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Speaker 2: opportunities here for the club moving forward to be able

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Speaker 2: to settle the financial reality of the club and take

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Speaker 2: it into the future with thinking a little bit differently

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Speaker 2: about the game and how we continue to engage our

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Speaker 2: community and our fans and get people to the stadium

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Speaker 2: and you know, continue to support our loyal commercial partners

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Speaker 2: through playing some exciting rugby on the field.

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Speaker 1: Of course, and that is that is that is that's

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Speaker 1: the base level. Does the Gillies and Code the new owners,

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Speaker 1: do they have any bright new ideas?

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Speaker 2: As we all know about the Hurricanes, You know, we

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Speaker 2: dare to be different and certainly Malcolm, John and Peter

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Speaker 2: and our border thinking differently about how we you know,

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Speaker 2: show rugby to the public both on and off the field.

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Speaker 2: And you know it's fair to say that Malcolm in

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Speaker 2: particular is bringing some innovative thoughts and ideas to our game,

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Speaker 2: which I think is exciting overall.

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Speaker 1: Will the fans see any change, Yeah, I.

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Speaker 2: Think they'll see Yeah, they'll see an exciting brand of

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Speaker 2: rugby first and foremost, and you know, we can really

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Speaker 2: harbor the stadium to be innovative around how we can

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Speaker 2: allow it to be a really great event for people

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Speaker 2: to attend and come along to and feel like they're

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Speaker 2: part of it. And you know, from a club point

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Speaker 2: of view, we're putting lots of energy and tension into

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Speaker 2: the community and engageing with our community. And as you know,

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Speaker 2: our region is as vast and we've got a game

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Speaker 2: up in Napier which we're excited about and as well

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Speaker 2: as the Stadium of Wellington and we're looking to get

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Speaker 2: up to Partmerston North and our bye week and connect

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Speaker 2: with the community out there.

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Speaker 1: Well Tony, we wish you are the very best of

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Speaker 1: Like Tony, philpers the interim Hurricanes ce.

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

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