It is widely acknowledged that international convention centres are essential elements that contribute to the growth and development of big cities.

Auckland mayor Len Brown says the council will not put any ratepayer cash into building or running an international convention centre.

SkyCity and the Government have managed to get their estimates about the cost of the international convention centre proposed for Auckland spectacularly wrong,

We show you how SkyCity's new convention centre would look in central Auckland, as details are revealed for the first time in its resource consent applications.

SkyCity's convention centre proposal has hit fresh turbulence as several high-profile former supporters declined to back the use of public funds to meet cost overruns.

SkyCity often talks up its regional operations, but the beating heart of its business is centred in Auckland where its flagship property generates two-thirds of the company's earnings.

The SkyCity convention centre deal has returned to haunt the Government - and provoke new controversy. In the first of a two-part series, David Fisher investigates.

SkyCity chief executive Nigel Morrison has just talked this taxpayer out of an Auckland convention centre.

There's an old maxim in poker - "If you don't know who's getting screwed, get up and walk away from the table because it is you."

City comes out swinging over Government suggestion that ratepayer cash be used to prop up SkyCity's international convention centre.

A Government proposal that ratepayers help cover a potential $130m blowout in the cost of SkyCity’s new convention centre is going down poorly with several councillors.

SkyCity's bid to build the convention centre was accepted for one reason: it did not need public money. Unless it can meet its side of the bargain, all bets are off.

SkyCity chief executive Nigel Morrison yesterday also confirmed his company wants a taxpayer-funded top-up and was willing to walk away from the deal if it doesn't get it.

SkyCity is holding all the cards in the latest round of negotiations with the Government over its increasingly expensive convention centre, Labour's Economic Development spokesman David Clark says.

Design improvements, a new five-star hotel and inflation have rocketed up the SkyCity convention centre's pricetag by as much as $130 million.

SkyCity Entertainment Group, the casino and hotel operator, is in talks with the government on how to fund the increased cost of as much as $130 million to build an international convention centre in downtown Auckland.

When Rob Hamilton sat his kids down to tell them he had a new job as SkyCity's CFO, their first question was whether that meant they could go up the Sky Tower for free.

The New Zealand share market has continued its record-breaking run, with the NZX50 Index hitting its highest ever point.

Some call him creepy, others call him a piece of cultural history - either way Auckland's giant Santa has been saved from early retirement.

Santa has been saved, with a family-owned company pledging money to keep him on Auckland's main street.

SkyCity, the largest single-site private-sector employer in central Auckland, prides itself on being an "employer of choice," says its chief executive.

A sobbing SkyCity Entertainment Group employee told hundreds of shareholders of the raw deal the company had dealt her after 15 years of employment in Auckland.

SkyCity said first quarter revenues were up 6pc at its AGM today, with big revenue growth coming from Asian high rollers.

SkyCity has extended by nine months the deadline for completing construction of the controversial NZ International Convention Centre.

What would you do if more than $100,000 suddenly appeared in your bank account? An Auckland man appeared in court yesterday over his ill-fated decision.

New Zealand financial markets are expected to firm when they open today after the National Party secured the first ever outright win.

Outdoor restaurant expansions on to the newly upgraded one-way Federal St will improve Auckland and are not an attempt to draw people nearer the casino, says Nigel Morrison, SkyCity.

Analysts appear to be satisfied with SkyCity Entertainment Group's performance, despite a drop in annual profit.