Auckland's Sky City convention centre – the New Zealand International Convention Centre – which is under construction and was scheduled to open early 2020, was reported to be on fire early this afternoon.
The convention centre has had a number of setbacks and the opening date has been postponed a number of times already.
Firefighters and police are on the scene battling the fire and hundreds of people – including construction workers – have been evacuated.
The NZICC was scheduled to host the 61st Annual Meeting and Congress of the International Association of Forensic Toxicologists in 2023.
The five-day meeting and congress is expected to attract 650 delegates to exchange knowledge, research and trends in modern forensic toxicology.
It was booked to be held at the New Zealand International Convention Centre and is expected to deliver $1.28 million in visitor spend and generate 3140 visitor nights.
It is yet to be seen how much the fire will delay the opening of the convention centre and what arrangements will need to be made.
