Casino operator SkyCity Entertainment won’t open the New Zealand International Convention Centre for another year, saying it will not be hosting any conferences or events before February 2026.
SkyCity CEO Jason Walbridge stated that due to delays caused by contractor Fletcher Construction, SkyCity does not anticipate starting its commissioning and operational activities at the New Zealand International Convention Centre until the latter half of 2025.
However, Fletcher Building said there had been no change to its completion date, and it still intended that to be by June this year, as previously advised.
A SkyCity spokesman indicated February was better timing rather than later this year, since a “contingency plus the convention market effectively closes in December and January. This allows time for commissioning.”
Fletcher acknowledged SkyCity’s decision to open in 2026 but confirmed that its own timeline for handing over the project remains unchanged from previous statements.
SkyCity further explained, “The New Zealand International Convention Centre will open in February 2026 and will now formalise contracting for conferences being held from that date,” SkyCity said.
“Delays by the contractor mean that SkyCity 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 NZICC from the contractor.”
Chief executive Walbridge, 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 project has been under construction for about a decade, with early works beginning in 2015. It was intended to open in 2020, but the project was delayed after a devastating fire hit the construction site the year before the opening date.
The NZICC project, located on Hobson and Nelson St. in the city centre, spans 32,500 square meters over four floors.