Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has confirmed APEC 2021 will still be held in Auckland.

The Prime Minister confirmed the news at a press conference, after meeting with Fletchers Building and SkyCity staff.

She told media she wanted to acknowledge firefighters who had been working under difficult circumstances.

"The team on the ground, have been incredibly professional, very focused on what they can do to preserve the building."

She also wanted to acknowledge Fletcher's and SkyCity who had been open and honest about what was happening.

Safety had been the focus. The second issue was the future of the convention centre.

She said it would take a few more days before it could be re-entered.

She said Apec 2021 would still be held in Auckland, but where it would be held was a point of discussion for Government.

"New Zealand has hosted Apec before ... without a convention centre. We had contingency in place."

When asked if world leaders would shy away from coming, she said "not at all". Leaders wouldn't base their vision on a conference room.

She said there was "no doubt" the fire had impacted on people in the city.

"It is not the city of course that we are all used to, busy, bustling, people moving between offices.

"You can see how the smoke has been debilitating for people."

She said it was "case by case" on whether workers should return to their offices in the city to work.

When asked about the economic impact on business, she indicated there would be some sort of financial compensation. It would be a small number of businesses affected.

She said there would be a hiatus for Fletcher's workers, and some would be working on the project longer than anticipated.

SkyCity chief executive Graeme Stephens said he hoped staff working on the project would be back at work on Friday.

Some workers would have a hiatus. Some left their tools on their site because of the quick evacuation.

They were working with sub-contractors and work out individual plans for their employment. There would be more jobs in the medium term.

"This devastating fire will be hugely disappointing for everyone involved ... to see this major setback, will be a blow to the workforce."