Fletcher Building hands delayed NZ ICC to SkyCity
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The news: Construction group Fletcher Building has handed over the delayed New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC) to casino operator SkyCity Entertainment ahead of its planned opening in February 2026.
The context: The NZICC project has endured repeated setbacks following a fire at the site in 2019. Fletcher said challenges including structural damage, flooding and mould remediation turned the project from a "significant build" into "one of the most technically demanding projects in the country's construction history".
SkyCity filed legal proceedings against Fletcher in June, seeking NZD330 million ($306 million) in damages for losses related to delays to the construction. The project had previously been due for completion by late 2024.
Located in Auckland's CBD, the NZICC is set to become New Zealand's largest conference, exhibition and entertainment venue, with capacity for up to 4,000 attendees. Its theatre will be the largest seated theatre in the country, seating 2,850 people.
What they said: "Today's milestone represents the culmination of an extraordinary journey in which we have overcome unprecedented challenges, from the aftermath of the fire to complex remediation works that tested every part of the project," said Fletcher's managing director and CEO Andrew Reding.
