Auckland needs ‘fit-for-purpose urban vision’, says major new report

The city’s capacity for technological innovation and the “knowledge economy” is also weak, and it is not doing enough to address sustainability.

On the positive side, resilience has improved following the storms of early 2023, while Auckland’s liveability benefits remain strong. There is significant potential in the city’s bicultural and multicultural character.

The report warns that this is not just an Auckland problem: what affects the city affects the country. New Zealand needs Auckland to do better.

This is the second annual State of the City report, produced by the Auckland Committee, a group of public and private sector leaders in the city.

Other partner cities Auckland has been compared with include Dublin in Ireland, Fukuoka in Japan, Helsinki in Finland, Portland in the USA, Tel Aviv in Israel and Vancouver in Canada.

Like Brisbane, Austin and Copenhagen, all of these cities are similar in size, have developed economies and are considered good places to live, work and play.

The first report was published a year ago, with the third due in August 2025. Deloitte and Auckland City Council’s economic development agency Tātaki Auckland Unlimited also contributed to the work, with support from Koi Tū: The Centre for a Conscious Future and the Auckland Government Policy Office.

The analysis was carried out by British company Business of Cities and was based on over 120 studies of cities around the world.

“It’s fair to say,” says Tim Moonen of Business of Cities, “that this year’s survey puts Auckland in a pretty harsh light in the global spotlight.”

This is despite the city often being seen as having “more ingredients, if not outcomes, than other excellent cities to help people get on with their lives, develop a less wasteful economy and respond to future crises.”

Perception, Moonen says, as well as efficiency, has become an issue. Between 2012 and 2016, the city ranked an average of 32nd in the world on various measures of perception. Now it ranks 60th.

Moonen says that “over the past decade there has been a steady and noticeable decline in the frequency with which Auckland is viewed as a top choice, particularly by businesses and investors.”

“Auckland is less of an example of urban excellence and experience.”

Moonen also warns of a “new geography of competition.” Mid-sized cities like Auckland can’t rely on their inherited advantages. They compete with each other, as well as with larger cities like Sydney and Barcelona.

“There are new technologies, new national policies regarding cities and the urbanization of industry, so even very good cities lose out to larger markets.”

Many other cities “are doing a better job of developing and attracting rare talent, commercializing more of the ideas that come from their homes, and addressing gaps in transportation and infrastructure.”

Moonen believes the positives for Auckland include the way the city has recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2023 floods and high interest rates.

The city is “faster than others in certain technology sectors and investment.” More companies are reaching “realistic scale,” and “the amenities in the area, the great green spaces, have really regenerated.”

But perhaps the biggest problem is that “prosperity has declined markedly.”

“Other cities are growing productivity and wages faster,” he says, with “larger concentrations in higher-income sectors and less chronic access issues,” while in Auckland, “inequality is clearly a drag on prosperity, and access for Māori and Pasifika communities remains a significant barrier.”

What does the city need to do now? The report identifies three critical areas that Auckland needs to address.

The first aim, says Mark Thomas of the Auckland Committee, is to “strengthen Auckland’s competitive position in key industries”.

The second aim is to create “new, collaboratively developed local and central policies that enable scale, speed and coordination in infrastructure delivery.”

As the report notes, “the coalition government has committed to long-term infrastructure agreements.” The “city agreement” would theoretically set a policy and financing framework for medium- and long-term development that goes beyond short-term politics.

Mayor Wayne Brown is also interested in a city deal, but said, Herald last week that Auckland is like a “city-state” and should make its own decisions. There has been no support from the government for this.

The third area to address is the lack of vision. Thomas says the city needs “conscious and collaborative leadership on the direction, attractiveness and development of the city’s identity.”

A key element, the report says, is making greater use of what makes Auckland unique: kaupapa Māori and its diversity.

“Auckland has a cultural and diversity advantage that can be used more purposefully to promote the city strongly, remind people of its special qualities and highlight the unique value that Auckland has and that sets it apart from other places,” the document reads.

“This requires a new narrative, linked to cultural development and innovation in the way Auckland expresses its sense of identity through urban form, economy and institutions.”

Simon Wilson is an award-winning senior writer covering politics, the climate crisis, transport, housing, urban design and social issues, with a particular focus on Auckland. He joins Herald in 2018.