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31 January 2006

SKYCITY Says “Thankyou Auckland” to Launch 10th Birthday

On February 1 SKYCITY will celebrate its 10th Birthday with a fireworks display as a spectacular “Thank You” to the city where the company started exactly a decade ago.

The fireworks display will kick off celebrations that will last throughout 2006, with customers, investors, staff and the people of Auckland able to join in the festivities that mark a decade of fun and entertainment.

From its beginnings as a construction site in Hobson Street, SKYCITY has become one of New Zealand’s top 10 and Australia’s top 100 companies, with 24,000 New Zealand retail shareholders1, 5000 staff in Australia and New Zealand and a long series of awards for its status as a tourism attraction, community supporter and wealth creator.

SKYCITY Entertainment Group Managing Director Evan Davies said: “We have come a long way. Since 1996, 70 million people have visited SKYCITY Auckland alone, about 15% of them tourists. We are central Auckland’s largest ratepayer, its largest employer, and one of its largest consumers of utilities and local goods and services."

“Across the decade we have been a sound investment, paying $NZ670 million in dividends, and an important part of the gaming industry which annually contributes nearly NZ$1 billion to the New Zealand Gross Domestic Product2 and A$6.5 billion to the Australian Gross Domestic Product.”3

1 As at November 2005
2 URS Report on Economic Impacts of Casinos in New Zealand. Data is for 2003/04 year and covers SKYCITY Auckland, SKYCITY Hamilton, SKYCITY Queenstown, Christchurch Casino and Dunedin Casino.

In 2000 SKYCITY won its first award, with Evan Davies being named by Management magazine as its New Zealand Executive of the Year. Recognition has been frequent since that point, including:

2001 SKYCITY named Supreme Award Winner, NZ Tourism Awards;
SKYCITY named New Zealand Company of the Year, Management magazine.

2002 SKYCITY named one of the world’s top 200 small companies, outside the US, by Forbes Magazine;
SKYCITY highly commended in NBR Arts Awards for Starlight Symphony sponsorship.

2003 Sky Tower named New Zealand’s leading visitor attraction, NZ Tourism Awards; SKYCITY Auckland’s food and beverage team wins 44 medals at 11th Annual New Zealand Culinary Fare.

2004 PricewaterhouseCoopers’ 2004 Corporate Value Report names SKYCITY first of 70 NZ companies;
2005 SKYCITY named inaugural ‘Trans-Tasman Business of the Year’ by the Trans-Tasman Business Circle; SKYCITY’s ‘responsible service of alcohol’ model adopted by New Zealand’s Alcohol and Liquor Advisory Council (ALAC) in its national guidelines for licensed premises;

Since 1996 SKYCITY Auckland has achieved a number of other milestones, including:
3–number of prominent Williams to visit SKYCITY - Robbie, Robin and Prince
10–most famous SkyJumpers
10.Irish Rugby Team Members
9.Christina Applegate
8.Katie Melua
7.Prince of Jordan
6.Temuera Morrison
5.Billy Connolly
4.AJ Hackett
3.Lucy Lawless
2.Rove McManus
1.Tom Cruise
16 lightning strikes on Sky Tower in one 45-minute period in July 1999
6000 elephants – a weight equivalent to the 21 million kilos of cement in the Sky Tower
350,000 cars valet parked
485,000 packs of playing cards used for New Zealand-based table games
1.5 million revolving diners served at Orbit
7,3 million eggs consumed by SKYCITY restaurant and room service diners
70 million – visitors to SKYCITY’s main Auckland complex

ENDS

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