Hotel operator to set up in NZ's tallest apartment building

Friday, 5 September 2025

The Seascape tower will be New Zealand’s tallest apartment building when the project is completed.

Troubles over the construction of New Zealand's tallest apartment building have been resolved, and multiple floors of the re-launched project will be managed by a hotel operator on its completion.

Until recently activity on the $300 million-plus 56-storey Seascape development at 83 Customs St East in Auckland had stalled.

But in August the developer, Shundi Customs Limited, announced construction was set to begin again, and at a pre-market launch event on Wednesday some “significant changes” were announced.

These were that the project had some big new funders on board, progress was being made by the recently appointed construction company, Icon Construction, and a hotel operator had been commissioned to manage the operation of levels 21 to 40.

Details of what the hotel operator's involvement would entail were not provided at the event, but Shundi’s PR representative said it was likely to be the management of serviced apartments rather than a standalone hotel.

Shundi wants Seascape to become a landmark for Aucklanders, the company’s Frank Xu says.

Seascape, which will feature 221 luxury apartments, has long been marketed as a world-class building that would redefine the city’s skyline.

At the event Frank Xu, Shundi's deputy general manager and executive project manager for Seascape, said the vision was for the building to become a landmark for generations of Aucklanders.

The benchmark for Seascape was the high-quality, exclusive apartment buildings around Circular Quay in Sydney and in parts of Shanghai, he said.

“That’s why we have engaged teams of top designers and top builders to do it. We want it to be something for Aucklanders to be proud of, and an iconic building that complements its surroundings.”

But the build has been beset by problems for many years, and a dispute between Shundi and the previous construction company, China Construction NZ Limited, shut down work completely in August last year.

For months there was no activity on the Seacape site. The tower was left uncompleted and the subject of questions over its future.

That changed with an announcement in April that China Construction would hand the site back to Shundi, and Australian vertical construction specialist Icon would take over the build.

Icon Construction previously built 51 Albert Street, home to the Hotel Indigo and 26 luxury apartments.

Icon has experience in Auckland’s CBD market as it built the 57-storey Pacifica tower and 41-storey Hotel Indigo tower in recent years. It has now moved a 14-strong construction team into Ballantyne House, next door to the Seascape site, and preliminary planning and on-site work is underway.

While it is operating the site under a construction management contract, it will not sign a full construction competition agreement until subcontractor pricing is agreed.

But at the pre-launch event, Icon’s New Zealand director, Dan Bosher, said his team had been doing preparatory work for the build since it started looking at the job in February.

Once the pricing was finalised, they would be in a good position to move forward quickly with certainty of the outcome, he said.

“But we are already doing work on site, putting things in place, and then as soon as we are unlocked with roots down we can move as quickly as possible.”

He hoped to switch the crane on by Friday, and said completion of enabling works and any necessary remedial work was likely to take two to three months. Work on the fitout would begin after that, and was expected to take about 18 months.

Due diligence on the building has been completed, and Seascape architects Peddlethorp had reconfigured a selection of floorplans to include more two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartments.

All 221 apartments in the 187 metre building were north facing with harbour views, natural light, and enclosed terraces. Fifteen would be penthouses.

Resident amenities would include a lap pool, fitness centre, a large outdoor podium for entertaining, and a “Sky Garden” viewing platform. There would be a five-level basement with 191 carparks.

The building itself recently became the first New Zealand building to win a Structure Award of Excellence from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.

Bayleys general manager residential projects Gavin Lloyd said about 50 of the apartments remained to be sold, and that prices started from $886,000.