SkyCity’s CEO says the NZICC will “transform the visitor and events economy in Aotearoa.”
New Zealand.- SkyCity Entertainment Group has announced that the New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC) will open in February 2026. It will formalise contracting for conferences from that date.
The company said it does not expect to commence its own commissioning and operational readiness activities at the NZICC until the second half of 2025 following the delivery of the completed venue from the contractor.
Jason Walbridge, SkyCity’s chief executive officer, said: “The date is later than we’d hoped but offers contingency, as well as certainty for our customers. We are thrilled to name February 2026 as the date we can open the NZICC’s doors to the New Zealand public and the world. The NZICC is a world-class facility that will transform the visitor and events economy in Aotearoa.”
The NZICC has taken over a decade to develop. There was a major fire in 2019 and various other delays. It will have a 32,500sqm gross floor area, a 2,850 seat theatre, dining venues and a five-star, 300-room hotel.
Prue Daly, NZICC general manager, said: “The NZICC is a transformational project, and we are thrilled to name the month we will open our doors. New Zealanders and visitors worldwide will be blown away by the innovation and thought that’s gone into every detail of the building – it’s configured for anything from a meeting for 20 people all the way up to an international conference for 3,000 delegates.”
Earlier this week, SkyCity announced that it has accepted an offer from the Treasurer of South Australia to resolve the contractual dispute on the taxation of loyalty points accumulated at SkyCity’s Adelaide casino. It will pay AU$13.1m (US$8.1m) of additional casino duty, AU$24.8m (US$15.4m) in interest AU$200,000 (US$124,000) to cover legal costs.
