New Zealand Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce said that if Team New Zealand Managing Dir Grant Dalton "wasn't getting paid" his A$2M ($1.9M) salary, the country "would face another Russell Coutts scenario," according to Brendan Manning of the APNZ. Joyce said that while "the Government was keen for Team New Zealand to source its own sponsorship in the interim, he was open to future America's Cup campaign backing." Joyce: "My understanding is that they are close to having done that. We're also still prepared to look at the sponsorship overall and determine how much that would be. In terms of the costs of things, including key personnel, including Dalton -- the reality is that we all know that these guys are competed for on the world stage and they get paid salaries which are out of the reach or understanding of most New Zealanders." Joyce added that the NZ government would assess "any future sponsorship deals based on what was proposed by the team and whether there were any real benefits for New Zealand" (APNZ, 6/23).
