“There’s a lot of optimism at the moment,” says Pereira. “There’s a positive sentiment right across the city.
“The NZICC is being acknowledged as one of those pivotal moments of change coming to our destination.”
With a collective footprint of 32,500m2 across up to 33 separate spaces on four levels, the NZICC includes a 2,852-seat theatre, over 6,700m2 of multi-functional space in exhibition halls and expansive pre-function space with views over Auckland’s cityscape.
The convention centre will be able to host conferences of up to 4,500 delegates in addition to providing space for galas, receptions, concerts and more.
With some setbacks along the way, the venue has been in development for a decade and is gearing up for a much-anticipated opening on February 11, 2026.
“The scale of the project is something unique for New Zealand,” says Pereira.
“This is just a step change – everything from the design of the building to the art in the building to the multi-usage flexibility, being able to take a truck onto the exhibition floor, reducing the packing times. It’s just a well thought out building.
“This building is going to be transformational for us.
“It is going to be a flagship facility. Not just for Auckland but for New Zealand.”
Pereira believes the NZICC will play a “crucial” role in helping New Zealand return to pre-pandemic levels of international visitation as well as playing a part in the central government target of doubling the value of New Zealand’s exports by 2030.
As of December 1, for 2026 alone, the NZICC has more than 120 events locked in, with the international portion of those valued at NZ$28 million in delegate spend.
For Auckland, Pereira says the power of the venue will be felt universally.
“Everyone, certainly living within Auckland, will in some shape or form…feel the impact of the amount of visitation, the amount of activity, the amount of knowledge exchange that will happen because of this building,” he says.
He says both of Auckland’s major universities – the University of Auckland and Auckland University of Technology – have recognised the potential of the building to serve them in New Zealand’s knowledge economy.
“They’re looking at this as a real opportunity to really accelerate some of their ambitions as well.”
The city has recently experienced what the larger scale meetings that the NZICC will enable can bring to the city.
In November, the World Indigenous Peoples’ Conference on Education (WIPCE) saw 3,800 delegates gather in Auckland for New Zealand’s largest ever academic conference.
The event had an economic impact of more than NZ$8 million, saw a ‘Parade of Nations’ down one of the city’s main streets, making the event highly visible to Aucklanders, and provided an international platform to share knowledge and showcase New Zealand’s expertise in Indigenous education.
“That’s the scale that we want to play with now,” says Pereira.
“We’ve got the venue that can accommodate that size of event.”
He points out that the NZICC adds to the city’s existing venues, including the Aotea Centre, Cordis, Auckland, Eden Park, Pullman Auckland Hotel and Apartments and the Viaduct Events Centre, giving Auckland unprecedented opportunities to host a variety of events simultaneously.
“We can host a lot more, so that’s the ambition now,” says Pereira.
“This year, 39 per cent of our business was international. Next year, 50 per cent of our business is international,” he says.
“That’s growth for you. That’s why this building is so crucial.”
