"As you'll be aware, there's been plenty of media interest in our current situation - if you are approached by media around site please tell them you can't comment, and refer them on to Laura Barrett in the SkyCity Communications Team," Ahearne said to all staff in a long text on October 24.
Last night, Unite Union members were meeting at their Morningside headquarters to watch the All Blacks v England semifinal together.
Several SkyCity staff there were claiming health issues after working shifts there in the previous days.
One woman said she worked from 8pm to 6am overnight Friday as a blackjack dealer and said she had struggled to finish the shift due to respiratory issues.
"It was very strong, everyone could smell it. At 3am I had a very sore throat and I wanted to go home, but I thought I'm almost finished. Then, when I got home I went straight to bed, and woke up around 11am and couldn't swallow."
After finishing this morning she has since visited a doctor and been given a prescription for antibiotics.
Another woman who works as a card dealer on the SkyCity casino floor had her car parked in the convention centre basement which was flooded.
The woman said SkyCity had issued $50 a day for transport for staff whose cars were stranded there.
However, the woman who lived in the North Shore said this fee hardly even covered an Uber ride back and forth from her address, and buses did not run at 4am - when she often finished a shift.
She said she had no word from SkyCity on how their cars would be replaced.
"Hopefully they will pay, we don't know yet. They haven't talked with us. They said they would talk with us from next week," she said.
"We don't know anything yet. But hopefully they will pay us the money because we urgently need new cars."
Etu Union representative Michelle Crooks sent a message to their SkyCity staff members via Facebook to not talk to the media.
"An important reminder to all Etu members. We have a confidentiality agreement with Skycity. You may not talk to media without SkyCity approval. It could lead to a disciplinary, up to, and including dismissal. Do not even comment on anything you see on social media in regards to SkyCity. Be wise, stay safe," Crooks said in the post to Etu members.
But Unite Union boss Joe Carolan took umbridge with SkyCity's response that only 46 of the 1000 members missed last night's shift - he said there were only about 100 of them on duty at a time.
He said comments by SkyCity's chief executive Graeme Stephens that he breathed in the smoke all of Tuesday as he handed out face masks to others, wasn't good leadership and he should have worn one.
"There should have been enough masks for everyone, including himself. I was beside him at many points during the day. I hope he has not done long-lasting damage to himself.'
He added that Unite were yet to see SkyCity's air-quality reports.
On Sunday, An Auckland Emergency Management spokeswoman said no further roads would be reopened until possibly Monday afternoon at the earliest.
Respective parties would be gathering to assess the situation mid-morning tomorrow.
She said they were comfortable with air quality levels which were back to normal, although she reminded people that if there were flare-ups at the scene, to steer clear of any smoke.
A Fenz spokeswoman said there was no definitive timeline as to how long crews would remain at the scene.
Firefighters had continued to dampen down hotspots over the weekend.
SkyCity has been approached for comment.
