Two Auckland City councillors, Juliet Yates and Kay McKelvie, gave the public no chance to have a say over the $171 million skyscraper that has changed the face of the Auckland waterfront.
The two, both of whom are seeking re-election, were on the planning fixtures subcommittee that gave AMP a resourceconsent in December 1999 to build the 34-storey glass tower on a non-notified basis, meaning affected parties and the public could not object.
They were convinced by AMP's experts that the tower could be approved without anyone needing to know. This was despite a council report that the skyscraper did not meet a new council rule that allowed eight storeys to be added.
The decision caused a stir and led local developer Andrew Krukziener to describe the building as an "ugly mother of a cheap thing".
Opposition arose partly because of the harbour edge's value for development as a public amenity.
A lobby group - the Society for the Protection of Auckland's City and Waterfront - was formed to pressure AMP. This led to changes to public street areas, and the council setting up an urban design panel to decide about important buildings.
The building, which is ahead of schedule, is nearly finished.
