Auckland has slipped behind its international peers as a great place to live and work due to a lack of affordable housing, congestion and a perception of rising crime. City leaders meet for the release of the second annual The State of the City: Benchmarking T?maki Makaurau Auckland's international performance report, for 2024.
It compares Auckland in 10 categories against nine cities; Austin, Brisbane, Copenhagen, Dublin, Fukuoka, Helsinki, Portland, Tel Aviv and Vancouver. Auckland ranks second-to-last of seven cities measured for housing affordability, relative to income, with only Vancouver behind it.
It ranks last of 8 peer cities for the ability to find fulfilling work. The city ranks second-to-last for access to public transport and active modes, but has seen the highest rate of shift away from cars in the last year.
The report says safety concerns persist, with 88.5% of Aucklanders believing the city was less safe at the of 2023 than the previous year, despite declining crime rates over the last 12 months.
Auckland's slower than anticipated rebound from the Covid-19 pandemic, the January 2023 floods and price inflation are also factors in the city slipping in its rankings. The report recommended Auckland focus on developing consistent infrastructure investment and credible plans to deliver this, in order to service Auckland's growth.
The report also recommends Auckland's public and private sector collaborate to reinvent the city centre and focus on attracting more business, investment and talent into the economy.
Auckland accounts for 38 percent of New Zealand's GDP and 33 percent of New Zealand's population.
Minister for Auckland Simeon Brown said the government knows that for New Zealand to be successful, Auckland must be successful
