The State of the City: Second Update on how Auckland Is Tracking
Image of Auckland downtown skyline , including the port. Photo Credit: Aaron Birch.
The State of the City report is the first of its kind for a New Zealand city. It’s a comprehensive, annual international benchmarking report initiated by Committee for Auckland in partnership with Deloitte and Tātaki Auckland Unlimited with support from the Auckland Policy Office and the Koi Tū think tank. This second update provides a short account of how Auckland is tracking, information on the progress underway and insights on future action needed. The State of the City 2024 report will be released later this year
Each point or category has been evaluated and then categorised as a Positive Trend, Neutral Trend, or Negative Trend.
Opportunity & Prosperity: Negative Trend
Auckland remains in the top third of cities in the world with the highest cost of living, although this has fallen from among the top 30. Consumer prices increased at 5% on average last year,2 whereas the average increase in global cities was 7.4%.3
Auckland ranks 80th out of 100 global cities in prosperity, impacted by its educational attainment levels, labour force participation, and lower relative numbers of start-ups, among other factors.4
Knowledge : Positive Trend
The University of Auckland rose 19 places in a ranking study of 1,500 universities and is in the top 25 universities in the Asia and Oceania regions. It has been awarded a five star plus or excellent rating in research, employability, teaching and internationalisation, among other areas.5
Image of Auckland Marina and downtown skyline taken from Wynyard Quarter. Photo Credit: Dan Freeman.
Place & Connectivity : Positive/Neutral Trend
Auckland is ranked 9th in the world for its outdoor activities, ranking above its peer cities. Auckland is acknowledged for its easy to access outdoor locations, numerous green spaces, and natural features, including dormant volcanoes and twin harbours. 6 Positive Trend
Auckland is ranked 31st out of 196 global cities, and in the top half of peer cities on the performance of its fixed broadband. 98% of the Auckland population has access to the extensive broadband network.7 : Neutral Trend
Experience : Neutral Trend
Auckland ranks 46th out of 100 cities on the strength of its city brand, which measures business investment attraction, liveability, and other factors. Auckland is mid-ranked compared to peer cities, behind Vancouver, Copenhagen, and Dublin.8 Neutral Trend
Although behind pre COVID-19 levels, Auckland’s international visitor numbers increased by 83.9% to 2.08m in the year to January 2024. Booked accommodation nights in the city rose by 5.2% over the same period.9 Neutral Trend
Resilience : Positive/Negative Trend
Auckland is ranked third for the cleanest air quality out of 120 cities measured.10 The city has very low recorded levels of the dust, smoke, and other matter (called PM2.5 concentrations) that can cause health issues.11 Positive Trend
Auckland is the 72nd happiest city out of 250 cities measured and is second lowest among peer cities measured. Although Auckland’s social inclusion and the ability for citizens to participate and contribute positively, Auckland’s transport system and productivity levels contribute negatively.11 Negative Trend
1 These data points are drawn from recently published global indexes, that are routinely monitored by The Business of Cities as part of their benchmarking database. Information has been supplemented by intelligence monitored by Tātaki Auckland Unlimited. Updates are provided here on seven of the ten pillars measured. All ten pillars will be updated later this year.
2 New Zealand-wide CPI was 4.7% in 2023.
3 Economist Intelligence Unit Worldwide Cost of Living 2023
4 Resonance 2024 World’s Best Cities
5 QS World University Rankings 2024: Top global universities
6 Resonance 2024 World’s Best Cities
7 Speedtest Global Index: Median city speeds 2024
8 Brand Finance City Index 2023
9 Tātaki Auckland Unlimited: Tamaki Makaurau Auckland Destination Overview
10 Ranking as at 5 April 2024. Data is live and updated regularly.
Signature projects and other insights
A series of private, public, and not-for-profit-led projects are underway that advance The State of the City 2023 report’s findings. Highlights are included below, and further examples will be provided in future updates.
Boosting Auckland’s knowledge opportunities
The University of Auckland’s Innovation Precinct at its Newmarket campus is establishing a strong network of people and facilities in a wider health, education, and infrastructure-focused hub. It is already home to around 20 co-locating companies across multiple technology sectors. These companies interact with researchers and an array of research capabilities and facilities, including a wind tunnel, flumes, additive manufacturing and roading laboratories, through to musculoskeletal, cardiac and stroke rehabilitation facilities. The campus also hosts Australasia’s largest seismic testing facility. Recent additions are a leading group in artificial intelligence and a co-creation space focussed on aged care research. Development of the precinct will help address Auckland’s knowledge weaknesses outlined in The State of the City 2023 report.
Supporting innovation and high growth tech clusters
New initiatives are helping to further stimulate Auckland’s innovation economy, the lowest assessed area in The State of the City 2023. Auckland’s economic and cultural development agency, Tātaki Auckland Unlimited – as part of Tech Tāmaki Makaurau, a threeyear strategy to grow Auckland as a tech city – is prioritising the development of high value, high tech clusters such as MedTech, CleanTech and aerospace to drive economic growth and create highskilled jobs. The agency has partnered with Medtech-iQ Aotearoa, a national innovation hub for MedTech and health innovation, to grow a high-value Auckland export industry and tackle major health challenges affecting communities.
Auckland Business Chamber’s Tech City Aotearoa plan is championing growth in creative tech, FinTech and HealthTech, powered by investment into broadband services, cloud computing, and leveraging Auckland’s talent diversity. 10 Ranking as at 5 April 2024. Data is live and updated regularly. 11 World Air Quality Report 2023 12 Happy City Index 2024 Other insights Auckland city centre international spending rose above pre-COVID-19 levels* in December 2023
Connecting Auckland internationally
Improving Auckland’s international connectedness was a priority identified in The State of the City 2023. As part of the NZ CleanTech Mission, twelve local CleanTech startups were supported to enter the US market to engage with investors and multinational corporates in California. CleanTech is an important part of Tātaki Auckland Unlimited’s Tech Tāmaki Makaurau programme to grow the region’s technology industry and help Auckland meet its climate change commitments. The companies are focused on renewable energy, waste to value, carbon capture, fusion energy, and water treatment. Callaghan Innovation, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, and clean energy company, Ara Ake, are partnering in the initiative.
Taking deliberative action to enhance Auckland’s resilience
Auckland’s first citizens’ transport forum has been held, where participants engaged with experts and data to shape Auckland’s transport future. Operated by Koi Tū, in collaboration with Auckland Council and Auckland Transport, the forum addressed the challenges of the current transport system in meeting population needs and climate impacts. The deliberative forum was followed by an online engagement using the interactive tool, Pol.is, to broaden the conversation and seek additional ideas from the public. Using deliberative democracy principles, the project seeks inclusive, informed decision-making for a sustainable transport system. This can help address The State of the City 2023 finding that although Auckland’s resilience ranks well, the city needs to facilitate easier feedback sharing, as well as improve transparency, communication, and public engagement. The project is part of a wider Complex Conversations research programme.
Action on city centre safety
Increased police patrols in the Auckland city centre, together with better lighting and camera visibility above City Rail Link work sites and adjacent public corridors, are being implemented by Auckland police to improve personal safety and commercial crime concerns. The greater number of patrols are improving crime prevention and boosting police visibility. The night-time economy in Auckland is also attracting attention to improve collaboration and enhance safety. Police continue to work with other agencies, non-government organisations, businesses, and the community to understand concerns and develop coordinated prevention plans across the city.
Other Auckland projects
A wide range of council, government, private and other agency-led projects are underway around Auckland
This article was originally posted on the Committee for Auckland website. Read the full report here.