Will Auckland's Sky World Ever Be Returned To Its Former Glory?
If you ask an Aucklander about Sky World Indoor Entertainment, once known as the Metro Centre, chances are they'll have a story to tell about getting lost inside the labyrinth-like interior, loitering outside Burger King or celebrating a birthday at the long-gone Planet Hollywood.
But over the last decade the Queen St building has slowly decayed with numerous businesses shutting up shop and foot-traffic dropping dramatically.
In 2017, RNZ reported the building remained open without a warrant of fitness for more than a year despite a 'high risk' to public safety.
Auckland Council confirmed the building does now have a valid warrant of fitness through to 24 August.
The building spent two years on the market and as of October 2024, the owner of the building James Kwak from JNJ Holdings, said there were plans for redevelopment.
Kwak has owned the building since 2011 when he paid $37 million for it.
In 2026 the City Rail Link (CRL) is set to open with a stop called Te Waihorotiu Station just 50 metres from the building – it is expected to be the busiest station, catering for up to 54,000 passengers per hour.
While it could be an opportunity for Sky World to attract more customers, remaining tenants inside the building said they had been 'left in the dark' about any refurbishment plans.
Most of the stores inside Sky World are empty, and the international food court has been demolished, leaving Event Cinemas, Metro Lanes, Game On arcade and Odyssey Sensory Maze. A Jack's Fried Chicken has opened within the past year.
A worker at GameOn said they had 'no idea' what was going on in terms of the building being renovated or sold.
'I don't know… I would love it to be developed or sold. When I first heard about it I was looking forward to that.'
The food court now being empty and closed off by false walls, stopped people being able to walk through a large section of the building, the worker said, making it uninviting for customers.
The worker said the building, and most of Auckland's mid-town, had taken a big hit during the Covid-19 pandemic and this was when many remaining tenants made the decision to leave.
'I had a big walk-through mid-town the other day, it's a bit sad. Our building is one of the worst ones.'
The arcade had been a tenant at Sky World in some form, since 1999, the year the building, then Force Entertainment Centre, first opened.
The worker said they had been on level two, until 2018 when they moved to the upper basement.
'It's not been a great experience [recently] the building was badly hurt by Covid, and it hasn't refilled.'
The arcade was lucky to have survived, and the worker said he believed this was only due to them having an entrance to the store from Queen St.
He said he believed if the building could only be accessed from inside the complex, it would not still be in business.
'I would like to see it in its former glory – the council, everyone, wants to see this part of town fixed.'
The manager of Odyssey Sensory Maze, which is hidden down in the basement of Sky World, said they had also been kept in the dark about renovations.
The state of the building and their positioning in the basement did impact business, she said.
'Customers often get lost trying to find us or leave bad reviews online because of the state of the building, which is something we can't control, it's not ideal.
'Things look messy and dirty – for me, it would be nice to have some more life in it.'
Former tenant of Sky World, Brad Jacobs, the director of Coffee Club, said the final straw for many tenants was the cost of rent during the pandemic.
'We used to trade well there, it was a good store prior to 2020, but when things got tough during the lockdowns we could not reach any fair rental agreement – we tried very hard, we begged even.'
But Jacobs said there was no support offered by the landlord.
Coffee Club exited the building in March 2021, and Jacobs said by that stage most of the other food places had already closed.
'The whole thing was ridiculous, bizarre, I still don't know what the landlord was trying to achieve.
'By then we could see the writing on the wall – the city was falling apart, and it was not the place to be.'
For Sky World to thrive again, Jacobs believed it would need a clear vision.
'Everyone has a story about that building, I remember I used to hang around the Borders bookstore and go to the movies, but the design is past its used by date now.
'It will be sad if it just sits like that for another ten years.'
'An awkward building'
Speaking to people passing through Sky World on a week day, one woman said she still visited to watch a movie or go bowling.
She remembered the food court was thriving when she was a child and hoped the complex could be rebuilt in some way.
'It's quite sad seeing it so empty.'
Another passer-by said he had been involved with the opening of Planet Hollywood, an international movie-themed restaurant chain, when the complex was built.
He remembered actor Robin Williams came down for the opening and the premier of his movie Bicentennial Man at the IMAX cinema which caused a serious buzz.
'It just deteriorated over the years … it's an awkward building to get around. It's confusing with the sky ways going in every which way, it's hard to find which level you're exactly on.
'I just use it to cross through to the other side now.'
Another woman passing by described it as a 'ghost town', while another queried whether it was closed altogether.
One of the three architects behind the design of the building agreed it was past its used by date.
Ashley Allen said he had been inspired by the film Blade Runner when he designed the building 25 years ago with Jamie Simpkin and Peter Diprose.
'The brief was to create a space that becomes a dynamic escape from city living and working life. The intention was this building would be without doubt memorable and the hub for entertainment for all in Auckland City.
'I have a sadness that the generation of children who enjoyed this space now as adults see its demise due to minimal maintenance, minimal refurbishments or any new innovations'.
He said the building was designed to be maze-like, to give people a sense of escapism and make it feel as though they had entered another world.
'I wanted people to get lost and discover things within the building. I liked the playfulness of it, the rocket lift, the bridges almost to nowhere.'
Entertainment centre 'still relevant'
The building had gone down hill dramatically, Allen said, and every building needed to be refurbished and re-energised throughout its life.
'You need to put money into it. Successful buildings need to be constantly refreshed and it's so unfortunate the owner seems to not want to spend any money on it – it's very sad.'
An entertainment centre needed to be refreshed every four to five years, Allen said, as technology moved on.
'Entertainment is not a static approach – what's needed to entertain a 12-year-old today is not the same as what was needed 15 years ago.'
He did not believe it would take much to make the building successful again, but it would need someone to agree to spend the money.
'It needs a new owner; it needs to be refurbished to get good tenants back in there or it needs to be demolished and rebuild with higher density.'
Allen said he did not want to see the building demolished, but he found it hard to see it in its current state.
'It feels like someone is abusing your child – I'd do anything I possibly could to help the current owner out or help a new one fix it.
'I just want someone to refurbish it. I'm keen for Auckland to have an entertainment hub again. All it takes is one person to start refurbishing and then people will join in.'
Heart of the City's Viv Beck would not comment directly on the state of Sky World, but said in general, next year's opening of the CRL would be great for the mid-town area.
'It's certainly an opportunity… it has been challenging for businesses operating there with the ongoing construction.'
Beck said they were thinking about how to bring people back to the area, and she was optimistic about the long-term.
'I see next year as a milestone. I think the concept of an entertainment centre is still relevant, but it needs to be an immersive experience with new technology.
The concept is something that people still want.'
Attempts by RNZ to reach the owner of the building James Kwak or his company JNJ Holidings have been unsuccessful.
The number listed on a 2022 renovation plan belonged to a man who said he had 'no idea' why his number was listed.
Voice messages left for numbers which were listed for lease enquiries on signs inside the building went unanswered, as did emails to Kwak and his company.
A number listed as accounts on the company's office led to a man who said he had not worked at the company for two years and he requested RNZ 'stop calling'.
The building's manager Tristan Kim, confirmed to RNZ the email had been received and said he would get back in touch with RNZ about whether there were any renovations underway.
'I'm at a restaurant with my son – I'll call you back.'
By time of publication, he had not responded.
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