Here in Aotearoa New Zealand, we love both sports and the ocean, so it’s no surprise that sailing is an area we excel in. That’s definitely the case for the New Zealand SailGP Team, who competes at the highest level of sailing in the world as part of the SailGP League, alongside countries like Great Britain, the USA, France, and Australia.
The world’s most exciting race on water, SailGP was founded in 2019 with a mission to race for a better future – one powered by nature. The high-adrenaline competition features national teams battling in short, intense races at iconic venues across the globe, building to the grand final – and sailing’s top prize of $US 1 million.
It’s also driven by the belief that sport can be a catalyst for a better, cleaner future. SailGP’s target is to accelerate the transition to clean energy and be the most sustainable and purpose-driven sports and entertainment property.
The New Zealand SailGP Team is part of the latest Gen Less 'Right Side of History' campaign that highlights the important mahi New Zealanders are doing to reduce emissions and get us on the right side of history on climate change.
Impact on the water
Climate action is at the heart of SailGP’s Race for The Future(external link) strategy which includes measuring and reducing its emissions, and continually challenging its operations to reduce its impact.
The organisation has set a target to reduce its emissions by 55% by 2025 and also invests in UN renewable energy projects to remove carbon from the atmosphere.
Alongside the Season Championship, SailGP also runs a second leaderboard called the Impact League(external link), with the teams competing against each other not on their sailing abilities, but their performance on social and environmental factors like clean energy technologies, removing single-use plastics, and diversity and inclusion. The New Zealand SailGP Team is currently top of the Impact League, so watch this space.
A New Zealand first
In April this year, the New Zealand SailGP Team became the first and only sports team in New Zealand to sign up to the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework, which aims to use the power of sports to drive climate awareness – and action.
Olympic gold medallists, defending America’s Cup champions, and the team’s co-CEOs Peter Burling and Blair Tuke signed the Framework alongside team members at a ceremony aboard the Waka Hourua Haunui in Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour. The New Zealand SailGP Team’s full line-up includes Peter Burling, Blair Tuke, Andy Maloney, Josh Junior, Liv Mackay, Marcus Hansen, Louis Sinclair, and Erica Dawson.
Burling said, “Climate change is placing our planet at risk and meeting the scale of this challenge requires action from everyone. As a team, we have an opportunity to step up to the challenge of climate change and inspire our fans to do the same.”
At the COP26 summit in November, more ambitious emissions reduction targets were announced as part of the Framework, including reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 at the latest, and reaching Net Zero by 2040.
The New Zealand SailGP Team joined the SailGP League, the International Olympic Committee, FIFA, the Premier League, Formula E and others in signing up to these new targets, highlighting its commitment to climate action and sustainability in sport.
The race for climate action
Alongside its public commitment, the New Zealand SailGP Team has actively cut its own carbon footprint in a number of ways:
- minimising international travel wherever possible
- opting for a smaller, lighter chase boat which is more fuel efficient - the NZ team consistently scores the best for fuel efficiency across the league
- reducing the number of shipping containers the team uses
- implementing an energy efficiency plan at the team base
- increasing the number of vegetarian or vegan team meals, from 20% at the beginning of the season to 65% currently
- washing sailing gear in cold water to cut energy use, and letting it dry outside overnight rather than using fans or dehumidifiers that use power.
The team also competes to support its Race for the Future charity partner Live Ocean, the marine conservation foundation founded by Burling and Tuke. The foundation has a focus on ocean protection and restoration, and they partner with exceptional local talent whose work has global implications for the protection of the ocean and the life in it.
As the New Zealand SailGP Team arrives in Sydney this week for the Australia Sail Grand Prix presented by KPMG, there’ll be a new addition to their boat – the Gen Less logo. We’ve partnered with the New Zealand SailGP Team to raise awareness around climate action and the important role we all have in reducing emissions in Aotearoa.
Related content
Will we be on the right side of history?
New Zealand SailGP team reaffirms commitment to a better planet(external link)