List of tallest buildings in Auckland

1900s–70s

The title of Auckland's first skyscraper or high-rise has been given to various buildings over time, including the eight-storey Cathedral House on 48–52 Wyndham Street, which dates back to the early 1900s. The neoclassical building sits opposite the Cathedral of St Patrick and St Joseph.^[2][3] However, it was not the first "skyscraper" in New Zealand overall, a designation that belongs to the New Zealand Express Company Building in Dunedin.^[4]

Another building to be called Auckland's first skyscraper was the Civic Administration Building (now shortened to CAB Building), built in 1966. The twenty-storey tower was comfortably the tallest building in Auckland at the time, and housed the Auckland City Council from its completion until the council left the building in 2014.^[5][6] An example of modernist architecture, it incorporated unique building techniques, such as flexible steel framing, aluminium extrusions, neoprene window seals and ceramic acoustic tiles.^[7]

In 1973, the first building in the city to surpass 80 m (262 ft) in height, the Air New Zealand House was completed. Built as the headquarters of Air New Zealand, the country's flag carrier, it dominated the Quay Street cityscape at the time.^[8] The building underwent an extensive renovation in 2017, enhancing its sustainability and recladding the exterior, as well as incorporating an InterContinental hotel.^[9][10] It is now known as the Deloitte Centre (not to be confused with 80 Queen Street, which was also known under that name). Another notable tower completed in the 1970s was West Tower, a 77 m (253 ft), 18-storey office building. Its "aerofoil form" has been receive favorably, considered a "... part of Auckland’s architectural evolution from big town to a more elegant and sophisticated city".^[11]

1980s–1990s

The next two decades would see an uptick in high-rise construction, with commercial skyscrapers increasingly growing in height. The Aon Centre became the tallest building in the Auckland upon completion in 1980s, at 92 m (302 ft) tall. The QBE Centre surpassed it in 1986, becoming the first building to exceed 100 m (328 ft) in height in the city. In 1990s, Crowne Plaza would take the title, becoming the first tallest building in the city to be a hotel tower. A year later, it would lose it to the ANZ Centre, with surpassed the record height considerably at 151 m (495 ft) in height. The tower's upper floors offered panoramic views across Auckland.^[12]

Perhaps even more significant to Auckland's skyline, plans for an observation tower arose in the early 1990s, as part of a development for a casino and entertainment complex known as SkyCity.^[13] Construction on what became known as the Sky Tower began in 1994 and was finished in 1997. The tower is also used for communication. With a tip reaching 328 m (1,076 ft) tall, the tower is by far the tallest structure on the skyline. Since its completion, Sky Tower has been an iconic landmark on the skyline due to its height and design, attracting an average of 1,150 visitors per day (over 415,000 per year).^[14]

2000s–present

The turn of the millennium would see the completion of Auckland's two tallest skyscrapers at the time, Metropolis, which also became the tallest residential building in New Zealand at 155 m (509 ft), and the Vero Centre, the tallest building in New Zealand overall at 170 m (560 ft). Metropolis marked an increase in the number and proportion of residential buildings on the skyline. While it was praised for its style and quality, the NZ$180 million cost of its construction also led to major financial fallout for its developer.^[15] Construction on the tallest building outside Auckland's city centre, Sentinel, was completed in 2008 in Takapuna, a northern suburb across the Waitematā Harbour. The idea of having a landmark building in Takapuna was considered favourably when the developer Cornerstone Group first proposed it in 2003.^[16] The Great Recession halted high-rise development in the city for a few years until the mid-2010s.

In the mid-2010s, another building boom began in the city centre, adding residential towers such as Queens Residences (2016), Park Residences (2017) and Victoria Residences (2018) to the skyline. Construction on the city's current tallest building, Commercial Bay, began in 2016 and was completed in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The skyscraper's anchor tenant is PwC, which gives it its other name of PwC Tower; the pandemic delayed the opening of the building's retail centre. The skyscraper is one of New Zealand's most sustainable high-rise office building and currently holds a 5 Star Green Building and Green Star Design Rating.^[17] Also completed in 2020 was The Pacifica, overtaking Metropolis to be New Zealand's tallest residential building. The top two floors of the building contain a penthouse that was originally listed for sale at NZ$40 million, which would have made it the most expensive apartment ever sold in New Zealand.^[18] This apartment was later split into four separate units.^[19]

The boom continued into the early 2020s with the completion of Voco Hotel and Holiday Inn and 51 Albert, both towers having a hotel component. Commercial Bay was set to be overtaken by the luxury residential skyscraper Seascape, which topped out in 2024 at a height of 187 m (613 ft). However, work on the building paused soon after, and its pointed roof sits unfinished on the skyline.^[20][21] The delay has been blamed on contract disputes between the developer, Shundi Customs, and the construction company.^[22] With few high-rises under construction as of 2025, some have regarded the recent high-rise boom to be over.^[23][24]

Under construction

As of 2026, there are no high-rises under active construction in Auckland that are expected to be at least 75 (246 ft) tall, based on standard height measurement. The residential development Seascape began construction in 2017 and topped out in 2024, but is currently on hold. It would become the tallest building in Auckland if it is eventually completed.

Proposed

The following table ranks proposed and approved high-rises in Auckland that are expected to be at least 75 m (246 ft) tall as of 2026, based on standard height measurement. The “Year” column indicates the expected year of completion. A dash “–“ indicates information about the building's height or year of completion is not available. Buildings whose construction is on hold are also included.