New Year's Eve fireworks display at SkyCity to go ahead as overseas cities cancel, scale down events

The SkyCity fireworks display - a central part of the New Years Eve celebrations - will go ahead as countries overseas cancel their events. Photo / Dean Purcell

Auckland will be one of the few cities to farewell 2020 with a bang as SkyCity has confirmed it will go ahead with its midnight fireworks display.

Overseas cities including London and Las Vegas have cancelled their December 31 displays to prevent large crowds from gathering during the Covid-19 pandemic - and Sydney's will be scaled down.

But in Auckland, the first major city in the world to welcome 2021, Skycity will put on a five-minute display alongside a lights display at the Auckland Harbour Bridge and the Auckland Museum.

"Being able to mark the occasion is cause for celebration, because unlike many other major cities and countries, New Zealand is managing Covid-19 well," said SkyCity CEO Michael Ahearne.

"This is SkyCity's way of demonstrating that New Zealand is open for business and we will play a key role in supporting the country's economic and tourism recovery."

In all, 500kg of pyrotechnics will be used for the display, along with 1.6 tonnes of equipment and 14km of computer cabling.

The fireworks are shot from level 55, 61 and 64 of the SkyTower and will reach 300m high and 120m across. They will be preceded by a three-hour animation display on the tower from 9pm.

The display will be seen across the CBD, but there are vantage points across the city including at Mt Victoria, Devonport, Bastion Point, Herne Bay, Mt Eden, and Te Atatu Peninsula.