Auckland set to get new convention centre

With New Zealand's Auditor General having cleared the New Zealand Government of giving Auckland venue SkyCity an unfair advantage in the bidding process for a new national convention centre, development of the new facility can now proceed.

The just released Auditor General's report did highlight procedural issues during the bidding, identifying that SkyCity was treated differently from the other parties, but said established processes should not stand in the way of innovative ways for Governments and the private sector to develop infrastructure.

With negotiations to develop the national convention centre now expected to resume between the Government and SkyCity, the the Tourism Industry Association New Zealand (TIANZ) has highlighted that the development of a national convention centre will create substantial economic benefits, both for the tourism industry and the wider New Zealand economy.

TIANZ Chief Executive Martin Snedden stated "we look forward to participating in the process to develop a national convention centre.

"The latest visitor expenditure figures , showing a 6% decrease in spending by international visitors since 2011, only reinforce the need for a national convention centre."

Conference delegates are high-spending visitors, spending an average of $365 a night, compared to an international leisure visitor who spends around $200 a night.

It is estimated a national convention centre will boost New Zealand's economy by more than $90 million a year.

It is expected to create 1,000 jobs during construction and another 800 positions when it is operational and will support many more jobs across the economy, including in the accommodation, catering, transport and retail sectors.

Snedden believes that "development of a world-class convention centre will not only create a major new market for our tourism industry, it will contribute significantly to New Zealand's economic recovery."

The lack of a world-class convention centre prevents New Zealand from hosting large international conferences.

"We have been losing conventions to other destinations, particularly Australia, because we don't have an international-scale convention centre. Development of such a facility will enable the industry to target a whole new market that can't be accommodated by existing conference facilities.

"While we acknowledge that there are genuine concerns about issues related to gambling, we are confident that the legislative process will provide an opportunity for a thorough examination of the issues."

19th May 2010 - AUCKLAND SKYCITY UNVEILS SKY DECK SKYSCOPES AND CONVENTION CENTRE EXPANSION