Cycling NZ loses major sponsor

The turbulent times continue for Cycling New Zealand, with its main sponsor APL Windows, owner of Vantage, ending its deal.

APL provided support across Cycling New Zealand activities, including naming rights sponsor for national track, road, and elite athlete programmes and national championships under the Vantage Windows and Doors brand.

It also sponsored several national championship events. The nonrenewal of the commercial partnership brings a close to six years of sponsorship.

Cycling New Zealand received more than $1.14 million from major sponsors in the 2020 financial year, down from more than $2m in 2019, its 2020 annual report showed.

The organisation receives more than $5m in funding per year from High Performance Sport New Zealand.

APL has a broad sport sponsorship portfolio, including deals with the Waikato Chiefs, the Silver Ferns and Netball New Zealand, motorsport – including Le Mans 24 Hour winner Brendon Hartley and rally driver Emma Gilmour – and athlete Hamish Bond. It is the naming rights sponsor of the Black Sticks and principal partner of Hockey New Zealand, its website says.

Cycling NZ said in a statement to Stuff yesterday that APL extended its original sponsorship term by a year in 2020 because of the Olympic postponement, ‘‘for which we were hugely grateful’’.

‘‘All sponsorships have a life cycle and we thank APL for all they have done over the six years as a partner,’’ the statement said.

‘‘We have known the contract was coming to an end for some time, and are in the process of developing a new sponsorship strategy for 2022 onwards.’’

APL chief executive Dave Downey said the organisation has had a ‘‘productive partnership’’ with Cycling New Zealand since 2015.

‘‘Although the official partnership journey will conclude at the end of 2021, APL will continue to take great pride and interest in future achievements of Cycling New Zealand athletes on the world stage,’’ he said.

He said he ‘‘had nothing further to add’’ and was unable to comment on whether welfare issues within cycling, or Covid-19 played a role in APL’s decision to not renew the sponsorship.

The organisation did not wish to

‘‘We have known the contract was coming to an end for some time, and are in the process of developing a new sponsorship strategy for 2022 onwards.’’

Cycling NZ statement

comment on the reasons behind the departure of APL as sponsor.

The loss of sponsorship comes during a torrid time for CNZ, and follows the resignations in the past fortnight of chief executive Jacques Landry and high performance director Martin Barras.

Barras resigned in the wake of an integrity breach by Cycling NZ at the Tokyo Olympics. The breach was brought to Landry’s attention in September and an independent investigation by the New Zealand Olympic Committee found Cycling NZ had breached selection protocols. Stuff understands the rule breach related to the replacement of Sam Dakin in the men’s team sprint event.

Dakin was replaced by Callum Saunders in the final round of the team sprint – a pre-meditated move engineered to ensure Saunders was able to also race in the Keirin event.

The sport is in the middle of an independent inquiry established by Cycling New Zealand and High Performance Sport New Zealand following Rio Olympian Olivia Podmore’s sudden death.

The reviewers are currently working on a draft of their findings, which is due to be delivered to Cycling NZ and High Performance Sport NZ in early February.