Auckland Council has approved the expansion of the St Lukes shopping mall to become the country's biggest.
Councillors accepted the recommendation of independent planning commissioners that St Lukes could double in size to nine hectares.
Cathy Casey, a councillor for the ward where the mall is located, sought unsuccessfully to persuade enough of her colleagues to reject the commissioners' view.
A local residents association plans to appeal to the Environment Court, arguing that traffic problems will worsen and that the scale of the expansion does not fit in a suburban neighbourhood.
