Auckland City
Auckland, located in New Zealand’s North Island, is the most populous and largest area in the country. With a population of 1,454,300, Auckland is home to 32 percent of the entire population of New Zealand. It is a part of the larger Auckland Region, including towns south and north of the urban area, rural areas, and the Hauraki Gulf island, which results in a 1,570,500 total population that the Auckland Council governs. Auckland’s Polynesian population is also larger than any city in the entire world.
The urban area of Auckland (according to Statistics New Zealand) goes from Runciman in the south, to Kumeu in the northwest and Waiwera in the north. It is not contiguous; the area from Whangaparaoa Peninsula and Waiwera is separate and apart from Long Bay, the closest neighbouring suburb. Auckland is situated between the Waitakere Ranges as well as smaller ranges in the northwest and west, the Manukau Harbour towards the southwest, the low Hunua Ranges to the south-east and the Pacifici Ocean’s Hauraki Gulf to the east. The central part of the urban area is made up of a narrow isthmus that lies between the Pacific Ocean’s Waitemata Harbour and the Tasman Sea’s Manukau Harbour. It is among the world’s few cities that has two major bodies of water with two separate harbours.
The Mercer Quality of Living Survey of 2014 ranked Auckland in 3rd place on its worldwide list. On the Economist Intelligent Unit’s most liveable cities in the world index for 2015 Auckland was ranked in 9th place. Loughborough University in 2010 classified Auckland as one of their Beta World Cities in its World Cities Study Group.
Most of the major international corporations in the world have an office in Auckland, since it is New Zealand’s economic capital. The most expensive office spaces are located in the lower Queens Areas as well as the Auckland CBD’s Viaduct Basin, where numerous business and financial services are located, which comprise a high percentage of the overall CBD economy. A high percentage of the trades and technical workforce is based in South Auckland’s industrial zones.
Greater Auckland’s largest industrial and commercial areas are in the south-eastern part of Auckland City as well as Manukau City’s western parts, mainly bordering the Tamaki River estuary and Manukau Harbour.
The Auckland region’s sub-national GDP in 2003 was estimated at US$ 47.6 billion, which is 36% of the national GDP of New Zealand, which is 15% higher than all of South Island.
The status of Auckland as the country’s largest commercial centre is a reflection of high median personal income (per year, per working person), which in 2005 was NZ $44,304 (US$ 33,000 approx) for the region. Auckland BCD jobs frequently earned more.
The median personal income (per year for all individuals older than 15 years old) was NZ $22,000 in 2001, which only trailed Wellington and North Shore City (part of the Greater Auckland area as well). Although office workers still are a high percentage of the commuters of Auckland, other areas of the cities now have large office developments, including Albany and Takapuna, which are both located on the North Shores, which are slowly starting to be more common, which has somewhat reduced concentration in Auckland.
Industry Categories
The industry profile of Auckland is varied and includes engineering, construction, food and beverage, hospitality, health, manufacturing and business services like marketing, management services, accounting and legal, which employ most of Auckland’s people.
There is a vibrant ICT sector as well, with over 6,700 companies employing almost 31,000 individuals and contributing $4 billion, which accounts for 7.5 percent of local GDP as well as 55 percent of the country’s GDP for that sector.
Percentage Of Regional GDP
Real Estate Services, Hiring and Rental 1.3%
Insurance and Financial Services 4.3%
Construction 5.3%
Retail 9.5%
Technical, Scientific and Professional Services 10.2%
Manufacturing 11.2%
Employment Size
Auckland’s overall economy relies heavily on the SME sector, perhaps more so than a majority of other cities. Micro businesses are very prevalent, with approximately 90$% of these companies employing from 1 to 5 employees and 8% employing just 20 to 49 employees.