Rating Auckland: New report says city shines on quality of life, falls short on transport, housing affordability

The report found Auckland scores highly on liveability but poorly on transport.

Auckland shines on quality of life and the natural environment, but falls short on transport, housing affordability, and addressing safety, a new report says.

The report, The State of the City, said Auckland has become popularly known as one of the world’s most liveable small cities, but its place and purpose in the world post-Covid needs renewed focus.

The report by UK-based urban intelligence firm The Business of Cities benchmarks Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s performance against peer cities in Australia, Asia and the Middle East, Europe, and North America.

Quoting various surveys and research, it said Auckland placed fifth out of 128 cities for wellbeing and work-life balance by Forbes, 19th out of 193 cities for digital services by the United Nations, and 10th out of 173 cities for expat quality of life by The Economist Intelligence Unit.

On the downside, Auckland was 88th out of 94 cities for housing affordability, according to Demographia; in the bottom third of 183 cities for efficient transport by the Spanish business school IESE, and 110th out of 600 cities for long-term economic growth, according to a Chinese study.

The report found Auckland has a housing affordability problem.

Committee for Auckland director Mark Thomas said examining Auckland through the lens of global benchmarks for the first time offers a fresh look at how the city is performing on the world’s stage, areas of strength, and where more focus is required.

“The report tells us Auckland needs to do more to be resilient, decarbonise at pace, adapt to new working patterns, address inequalities, and compete for talent, visitors and investment,” Thomas said.

He said Auckland plays a very significant role in Aotearoa New Zealand’s economic growth, international profile, and in responding to national challenges such as the impact of climate change. However, the region’s response to big problems has typically been short-term or ad-hoc, with significant opportunities missed.

“Among our peers, Auckland has pressing knowledge, skills, and innovation deficits. The region is not providing the skills needed to match the growing demands in technology-led sectors. Also, a range of innovation enablers need attention including access to incubators, university pipelines, seed, and early state funding,” said Thomas.

Consulting firm Deloitte and the Auckland Council’s economic and cultural agency Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, with support from the Government’s Auckland Policy Office and Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures at the University of Auckland, also participated in the report.

Tātaki director of investment and industry Pam Ford said the report builds on the 2022 Tātaki-commissioned report, Reimagining Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland: Harnessing the region’s potential, by focusing on the leading qualities Auckland possesses among its international peers and looking for opportunities in the areas currently holding the region back.

“Auckland’s appeal as a liveable city is well known and frequently confirmed in international rankings. However, one of the key insights of The State of the City report is that for the city to improve its global performance, we need to focus on the conditions for attracting more businesses, investment, and talent into Auckland’s innovation economy,” Ford said.