Long road ahead for NZ to again attract WRCto these shores

It is likely to take a joint effort from the Government and Tātaki Auckland Unlimited to bring the World Rally Championships back to New Zealand, and even that may not be enough.

It was confirmed on the eve of this year’s Rally NZ that the WRC won’t be coming back next year.

Stuff understands that WRC Promoter, the organisation which runs the global rally championship, suddenly brought forward its deadline for those behind Rally NZ to confirm they had the funding to be on next year’s calendar.

Without the financial backing all secured in time, WRC Promoter has given the spot that could have been New Zealand’s to another country.

Organisers of Rally Argentina have also been told they’ve missed out on next year’s calendar and there’s still no place for Rally GB, another of the iconic events in the sport.

It looks likely the WRC will go to Saudi Arabia next year, while the organisation is desperate to break into the US market.

Rally New Zealand is predicted to generate $3.3 million in GDP, with 34,000 visitor nights and expose Auckland to a global TV audience of 80 million. For this, Auckland Council coughed up $1.75m, as part of the fixed annual Major Events portfolio.

With bigger and richer countries

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after WRC events, it makes it tougher for New Zealand to join the battle. But Tātaki Auckland Unlimited head of major events, Chris Simpson, says they’re not giving up on getting the WRC back in 2024.

‘‘We were working through, both Government and Auckland, on how we could support the event in 2023,’’ Simpson said.

‘‘However, there was some real urgency and they [WRC Promoter] decided they wanted to confirm their calendar for 2023 and went with another city and country.

‘‘It’s reflective of how competitive major events are around the world. There is certainly the appetite, we were looking at the process to see whether we could get the World Rally Championship back and we’re working closely with them.

‘‘We’re looking forward to seeing how the outcomes of this weekend pan out, by way of investment. But certainly, there’s a keenness from Auckland and the Government to continue discussions.’’

Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, which is an arm of Auckland Council, funded this year’s Rally NZ without any support from the Government and Simpson wasn’t sure if they’d be able to go it alone in the future.

‘‘I guess that would depend on the level of investment they’re needing, which would be significantly more moving forward than what it is currently,’’ he said.

‘‘That would still require conversations, but what I do know is that the WRC were in communication with the Government as well, so we’re working together to discuss with them what the future looks like beyond 2023.’’

The WRC was initially planning to come to New Zealand in 2020, for the first time since 2012, but because of Covid-19 it was postponed twice.

The decision to visit New Zealand at the time was seen as something as a one-off stop gap, while Rally Australia found a new venue to replace the unpopular base at Coffs Harbour.

Motorsport Australia is trying to get the WRC back and looking for that to happen in 2024.