SkyCity Entertainment Group

Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week) kicks off on today and to celebrate SkyCity is putting out a wero (challenge)! Are you game enough to give it go?

We are pleased to announce Avril Baynes, who has been our Interim Chief Operating Officer Adelaide for the last five months, has been appointed as Managing Director of our Adelaide operations. Avril has been leading our uplift initiatives during her time as Interim COO, and in her permanent position she will continue to drive progress as the leader of our Adelaide business. Congratulations, Avril!

SkyCity Auckland has been closed for the last five days. This week, we have spent time learning, listening, maintaining, and reflecting as an organisation and as individuals.

Next month SkyCity will be hosting a free conference called 'The Future of Work: From A to Gen Z' at SkyCity Theatre. Created and run by our rangatahi employee resource group, Elevate, it will explore topics ranging from sustainability to AI. There’ll be spot prizes, panellists, and plenty of opportunities to mix and mingle. Check out the event page for more information.

Growing up, New Zealand was just a dream for Estelle Ansel, SkyCity Hamilton’s Business Support Coordinator, a place that felt a million miles away from her hometown, Paris.   In her own words, she explains how she plucked up the courage to move to the other side of the world as part of our series #HUMANSOFSKYCITY   “I grew up in Paris, and when I was about 18, I saw the Lord of the Rings movies. At the time, I said to myself, I need to go there. I need to visit this country.’ It didn’t look real; it was like a dream – just beautiful.  And it was on the opposite side of the world.   Moving to New Zealand was one of the biggest decisions I’ve ever had to make in my life. I’d never left my home country until I was 30, and then I left everything – my family, my friends.    When I arrived in Hamilton, my English was quite old – I had studied English at university in Paris, so I had a little background, but it was still a bit terrifying! That’s why I initially wanted to work in retail so I could meet as many people as possible and hear as many accents as possible.   My friend, Samantha, was working for SkyCity Hamilton, and she said, ‘There’s a position available, and I think you would fit in’ and I said, ‘Oh no no, I’m not sure.’ But it worked out! I’ve been here for two years now, as a Business Support Coordinator.   I’ve developed so much personally and professionally. You know, I’m a super shy and scared kind of person, but it’s only when you’re facing a wall that you realise how strong you can be. We all have resources we can’t even imagine, and doing something brave is the way to discover them.   I’m really proud of myself, and I think if I were to talk to my friends who I watched the Lord of the Rings with back in Paris all those years ago and told them, ‘I’m here!’ they would never believe me.

SkyCity has partnered with Abilities Group, which employs people with physical and intellectual disabilities, to recycle its e-waste. This includes Point of Sale equipment, Audio / Visual units, Network kits, and miscellaneous ICT hardware.   Our CIO Andrew McPherson was given a tour and came away hugely impressed with Abilities' inclusive work environment and excellent recycling. 

Today is Father’s Day and here at SkyCity, we’re lucky enough to have all sorts of father figures – dads, stepdads, grandads, uncles. While fathers may come in all shapes and sizes, one thing they all have in common is corny, cheesy dad jokes. You know the ones – the ones that are so terrible they’re almost good! Here are some of SkyCity’s finest dad jokes, brought to you by the dads who make us smile every day.

This September when you look skyward, you’ll notice the Sky Tower lit up in all sorts of colours. Along with making the city’s skyline beautiful, every colourway supports a particular charity, community initiative, milestone, celebration, or event.   Check out the calendar below to see who SkyCity is supporting this month and if you want to put in a lighting request or send us an idea, follow the link below: https://lnkd.in/g-jJaNP2

Jimmy Chang didn’t set out on becoming Gaming Shift Manager at SkyCity Hamilton. With a degree in Computer Science, he took a slight detour, and before he knew it, he had clocked up 21 years at the casino. In his own words, he shares how he went from IT to the casino floor as part of our series #HumansOfSkyCity   “I graduated from Waikato University with a degree in Computer Science and E-commerce. My first job was working for an IT company, but after a few years, I found talking to the computer every day very boring. I’ve always had a deep interest in casinos so when I was applying for an IT job at SkyCity Hamilton, I also applied to be a Table Game Dealer and was selected.   I remember my first day 21 years ago – it was, ‘Wow’. A brand-new building, a brand-new casino, and there I was, walking onto the gaming floor, wearing the dealer's uniform, about to perform my skills dealing on the table. I felt nervous and excited as I watched people walking into the casino and coming to play at my table. I had been trained for three months, and this was the first time I had to deal with a customer... woah.   I thought I had a shy personality, but after interacting with customers and VIP, I found I really enjoyed it. Every day I talk to different people and face different scenarios. It’s probably one of the few jobs that isn’t too boring! Every day is different, every day is exciting.   My wife started at SkyCity Hamilton at the same time as me. Since then, we’ve both gone from Dealer to Supervisor, Pit Manager, and Shift Manager. SkyCity is in our blood now, and we always have something to talk about.”

Today, we released our FY24 Full Year Results. You can read more about it here: https://lnkd.in/g5D5cmrD