The PR battle for support from Bermudians has taken a new turn at the America's Cup, with a full-page newspaper advertisement arguing a tongue-in-cheek case for New Zealand.
The ad in the The Royal Gazette in Bermuda. Photo: RNZ / Todd Niall
Team New Zealand sponsor Toyota has taken out the ad in The Royal Gazette, topped by a map of New Zealand, substituting the South Island with a surprisingly similarly-shaped Bermuda.
"Hey Bermuda, we look great together" is the headline.
The ad - a version of which also appears in the Sunday Star Times - runs through a list of similarities linking Bermuda and New Zealand: both island nations, both colonised by Britain, both with a Hamilton city, and a love of fishing.
"We're underdogs and frankly, compared to Larry [Ellison] we're not exactly made of money," it said.
The ad offers to donate the North Island to Bermuda should the team win, with the footnote, "if our Prime Minister is cool with it".
A big New Zealand flag roll-out happened overnight with a team member tying flags to powerpoles lining the main road access into the Dockyard area.
News stories in the paper over past days, have highlighted the uncertainty of the cup remaining in Bermuda should the defender Oracle Team USA win.