However, it was announced over the weekend that this festive season would be his last, and he would be taken down for the final time on January 10.
According to the giant Santa's owners, Heart of the City, it was the right time to announce his retirement, chief executive Viv Beck said.
"It's one of those situations where you do want to keep the tradition alive but the reality is keeping it alive can be challenging at times," she said.
"We're in this situation where we feel the time is right. He's getting quite tired and certainly needs some work."
Over time, the Santa had changed hands for a mere $1, lost his wink and moving finger and was even spared retirement in 2014.
At the time, SkyCity and family-owned property development company Mansons TCLM committed three years of funding support.
Mansons had gone beyond what they agreed to do, but with no confirmation beyond this year, Heart of the City made the call to retire him, Beck said.
However, the final decision had not been made on the exact future of Santa.
In the meantime, the public was invited to provide feedback with Heart of the City, especially if they had ideas for his future.
People were also invited over the weekend to share their memories of Santa with the organisation for a tribute to the retiring sculpture.
"We thought that we'd have a look at the feedback first before we decide how we best manage that - there's no decision yet," Beck said.
"It would be lovely if there was an opportunity to have him somewhere where people could still see him. Whether that's feasible or not, we're not sure yet."
Elsewhere, according to the prices from the Waste Management website, it would cost $1090 to take the five-tonne Santa to refuse.
