If it encroaches on harbour, so what? Harbours are for boats.

Can I make a plea this morning?

The overriding premise or thought starter, the thing that must never be forgotten in all the meetings around the America's Cup is: Don't cock it up.

Already we have a spat, the sort of spat that will lead to frustration and upset and a needless waste of energy and time.

Which is such a shame given the boat. Have you seen that boat? It is spectacular.

Then the MBIE report, $1 billion in income and 8300 jobs.

But to the spat.

In very simple terms Auckland Council wants to spread the teams around the place because it is cheaper.

And they've already got protesters on their case.

Team New Zealand want them clustered in a single area thus creating a village type atmosphere.

It's more expensive, and means a small encroachment into the harbour.

Enter the aforementioned third player, the lobby group that doesn't want any encroachment anywhere.

Here is what I know about the America's Cup.

It is our biggest sporting event outside the Rugby World Cup.

It is worth a fortune to the country not just directly but within the sailing industry itself.

It is a postcard to the world, it is good for tourism, it transformed the waterfront last time we defended it here.

It is a golden goose, and we mess with it at our peril.

What worries me about these early signs of disagreement is, it's not like this is new.

In an odd way it's not dissimilar to us winning in Bermuda.

Even though we've been through it all before, we still insist on entering the tiresome and boring debate about it being a "rich person's sport". We still fail to believe we can win it.

We still argue about government funding, until of course we start winning, and when we start winning the nation stops, the ratings go through the roof, everyone is a fan and we roll out the ticker tape parades.

Why can't we just cut to the chase.

Why can't we just accept the America's Cup is a ticket to success, prosperity, jobs, expansion and marketing you can't buy, and all line up behind Team New Zealand and say, tell us what you want and need, and let's get on with it.

Team New Zealand's idea of a village makes perfect sense. Having been in San Francisco, they didn't do that, the teams were miles apart and it lost some of its magic.

The fact it encroaches on the harbour... so what? That's what harbours are for, boats and water-related activity.

The cost is only a cost if you see it as such; alternatively it can be seen as an investment.

Why would we not want this to be world class?

I wonder if in part, at least, there is a clash of cultures.

Team New Zealand, the self-made, agile "smell of an oily rag" operators from the private sector, meeting with the council, the ratepayer-funded behemoth famous for its committees' glacial thinking and clipboards, meeting with the Government which specialises in more committees and a desire for reports.

Which is exactly what David Parker called for after their first meetings.

Revised reports, and in calling for them he said, and I quote, "I don't want to sound dictatorial" which of course is exactly what he sounded like.

Yes the government and the council have a stake and yes they are using our money and yes they are accountable.

But they don't own this thing, they're not in charge, they are the facilitators, they are there to assist, not get in the way.

Execution is everything in moments like this.

It is the difference between good and great, average and memorable ... maybe even winning and losing.

Don't cock it up.