Wellington: A massive fire at a convention centre under construction at a casino complex in Auckland is still spewing thick smoke across New Zealand's largest city, forcing road closures and keeping workers away almost 24 hours after it started.

The fire had prompted an evacuation of SkyCity Entertainment Group's entire complex, including hotels, casinos and restaurants when it erupted around lunchtime on Tuesday.

Firefighters take a break outside on Wednesday.Credit:Getty Images

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was set to visit Auckland later on Wednesday.

The construction project, undertaken by Fletcher Building Ltd is valued at $NZ703 million ($A655 million) and is the largest under way in New Zealand.

Fletcher Building and SkyCity said the extent of the damage and the next steps would not be known until the fire was extinguished and an investigation could start.

Shares in Fletcher slipped 2.3 per cent to a seven-week low on Wednesday, while SkyCity shares fell 1.2 per cent to a four-month low.

"Once the extent of the damage is known the Company will be able to determine the impact on the project delivery timeline, in consultation with SkyCity. It is expected there will be a material delay," Fletcher Building said in a statement on New Zealand's stock exchange, adding it had insurance on the project.

The convention centre was originally slated for completion this year but Fletcher had pushed the date back as the project experienced delays.

Goff said they had been expecting the centre to be finished by around August 2020, and the fire damage meant it could now take more than an extra year to complete.

Reuters

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