Richard Brisius, race co-owner and chairman, made a point of naming Conrad Colman from the stage in front of the Minister, the Mayor, and an audience drawn from the upper reaches of New Zealand sailing. "We have a Colman who is trying hard," Brisius told the gathering. "He's doing the Ocean Race Atlantic and we're looking forward to seeing more Kiwis coming back."
Mike Sanderson, the last New Zealander to win the Ocean Race outright, had spoken with Colman just days before the event and was well across the specifics of the campaign.
"The budgets are a fraction of what they were in 2005," Sanderson said.
"And the media platform and social media reach now is tenfold on what it was then. If you looked at Conrad's budget to go and participate in the race, it would be an amazing return. But it's still quite a lot of money."
Colman's Aotearoa Ocean Racing campaign is built around two clear objectives. The first is the Ocean Race Atlantic, departing New York on 1 September with a fully Kiwi crew racing under New Zealand colours. The second is a full campaign in the 2027 Ocean Race, arriving in Auckland on 20 February. Colman has been explicit about the role of the Atlantic: not a destination, but an opening move, proof that his team can perform at the sport's highest level.
The European insurance company that backed his previous campaigns has already declined to support the around-the-world programme, and securing that scale of funding from within New Zealand is now the central challenge his team faces. Sanderson's prescription was to build a recognisable Kiwi identity at the heart of a competitive programme and give the public something to rally behind. "If we could get a core of New Zealanders into another team and become the centre of it, the Kiwi public would get behind that team. And that would be massive."
Sustainability is the point of difference Colman is pursuing, a choice Sanderson confirmed he views as astute. "You need to have a strong feather in your cap, a point of difference. If he's going down that road, that's smart."
Brisius regards Colman as the kind of leader the sport needs in this country. "Conrad is passionate; he's driving very hard, he has this dream, and he wants to make it happen." His challenge to New Zealand at the press conference carried a sharp edge. Kiwis were once the kings of round-the-world racing. That is no longer the case. The IMOCA class, Brisius argued, represents the most realistic pathway back, with budgets more manageable than in previous eras and a media platform capable of delivering genuine return on investment for a sponsor willing to back it.
Minister Upston asked directly what the government might do to support Colman's campaign, acknowledged she was not yet across the detail, and pointed to Sport New Zealand as the relevant body. She added that sailing is a significant part of New Zealand's DNA, and that the government wants to see sailors coming through from P-class all the way up to events like The Ocean Race.
When the IMOCAs begin arriving on the Waitemata on 20 February 2027, Brisius was clear about what he wants to see. "We don't want you just to be watching. We want you to see the New Zealand flag back on the water, inspiring a nation and inspiring the world."
Conrad Colman is the person trying to make that happen.
