The Seascape apartment project, developed by Shundi Customs and constructed by China Construction NZ, has come to a standstill. Photo: RNZ / Ziming Li
The developer of the skyscraper Seascape did not want the media around during a meeting updating Auckland Council on the status of the stalled build.
The planned luxury skyscraper, if completed, would be New Zealand's tallest residential building at 56 storeys.
However, construction on the building abruptly stopped in August last year due to a dispute between the builder China Construction, and developer Shundi.
Communications released to RNZ under the LGOIMA showed Auckland Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson met with Seascape delegates from China Construction facade manager, Alex Liu, and another delegate, Sri Thamo, and Shundi project director and senior development manager, Simon Ma on 17 December.
The developer and the builder are at odds over a $33 million bill. Photo: Sharon Brettkelly
It was not clear what was discussed at the 45-minute meeting requested by the Deputy Mayor's office.
In an email, the council's building inspections manager told a council advisor about the developer's response to the Deputy Mayor's request for a tour or an inspection of the Seascape building.
"Shundi have come back to say they can take Deputy Mayor Simpson up the tower when she is available.
"One thing they have asked is if her visit will include media.
"As you can imagine, they are still in court with China Construction and would prefer to not comment publicly about the matter while it's still ongoing.
"They can however give her a high-level update while on-site."
The meeting was the first time the Deputy Mayor had visited the tower.
Auckland Council previously told RNZ structural engineers carried out bi-monthly inspections of the inside and outside of the building to ensure it remained safe.
Photo: RNZ / Ziming Li
When approached for comment, Shundi did not provide further details about the meeting or why they requested that no media be present.
On Wednesday, police expressed concern about a social media video that appeared to show a young person crane climbing at Seascape, 220m above ground.
A Shundi spokesperson said the incident, which they called an "extremely dangerous break-in", had been reported to police.
They said they would announce any other project updates in due course.
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