OPINION: When income from international students drops, our universities start competing against one another - it’s a bit like rats eating each other when the food runs out.
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New Zealand yachting stars Peter Burling and Blair Tuke have won just about everything put in front of them. Now their sights are on SailGP.
Beware the flattery, but SailGP defending champion Tom Slingsby is talking up Peter Burling and Blair Tuke as the two best sailors in the world as they head New Zealand’s overdue entry into this global league. The 2021 SailGP season opens in Bermuda on Saturday (5am NZT) and the arrival of Burling and Tuke and other stars like Jimmy Spithill and Francesco Bruni to join the likes of Slingsby, Sir Ben Ainslie and Nathan Outteridge, takes the eight-boat fleet to a new level.
Tourism New Zealand and marketing agencies spent months coming up with the concept. The aim was to find a way to reach potential future visitors at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic had closed the borders to them.
Rod Stewart gives us a sneak peek at the version of Sailing which has been released for the America s Cup singalong. “We came up with this idea of using Sir Rod Stewart for a moment of unity in which we commiserate that [foreign tourists] are not here – and get people to dream of a future trip to New Zealand,” Monchy said. Stewart was considered ideal also because he has two Kiwi children, born during his 17-year marriage to Auckland model Rachel Hunter.