I have to say i think its probably been a few years since you've last been at mercer by the sounds of things.
Lots of things have changed, not all of them good. Jim is Jim.
SBB is about 2.5 hours drive from mercer. ASC is less being at Whenupai. Taupo is also in the 2.5 hr circle. Rotorua, Matamata too. SBB is by no means the closest, nor largest competitor to mercer. The only other DZ you would be referring to is BoI.
This issue is personal, as Dave & Kelly were jumping in mercer to have fun when they won this prize. I don't see this as SBB vs NZSkydive. I see this as Dave and Kelly + Christian(who happen to be from SBB) vs NZ Skydive.
Also the best person other than Jim to contact about this issue would be Wendy, as she did the organising for the Skills weekend.