PM missing out on opportunity to showcase NZ

CEO of Animation Research, the company providing on screen graphics for the America's Cup TV coverage, Ian Taylor is disappointed Prime Minister John Key is not getting behind Emirates Team New Zealand.

"I was really disappointed to hear that the Prime Minister sort of, just the flippant disregard sort of when asked would the government invest again, the answer was 'well come and talk to me if they win', and I thought that was really short sighted," said Mr Taylor.

He said the Waka that the Government paid for in 2011 for the Rugby World Cup which is now in San Francisco, has generated huge interest in San Francisco's technology hub of Silicon Valley and thinks it is a shame Mr Key isn't there to meet the people from multibillion dollar companies based there.

"The Waka has been superb, people just love that. You know AT had a function there the other day, and Brett O'Reilly said that he estimated there was two billion dollars' worth of American money in that Waka, and you know I just thought it was a pity that our Prime Minister wasn't there, that you know instead of the guys from Apple talking to me and inviting me out to their headquarters because they are amazed by what's been done.

"Imagine if they were talking to the Prime Minister, an ex-investment banker, Prime Minister of the country, showing how serious he took this exercise in San Francisco," said Mr Taylor.

If Emirates Team New Zealand won the America's Cup, he said they should think about hosting the tournament in another country so New Zealand technological companies can showcase their products in the world's biggest markets.

"Let's just at least debate the idea that we tender this thing. We put it out to the world, we tender it to countries where we want to do business.

"We shift, you know we find the city that suits us, we shift the cost of the infrastructure to them.

"We then build our own little Vatican in the middle of that city, make sure the event lasts for six months, and we showcase ourselves in the market we want to be," said Mr Taylor.