The state of our city

A new report released this week shows the strengths and weaknesses of Auckland city, and its position on the regional and national stage.

Using data from a wide range of sources, the State of the City report, released by Auckland City Council, gives a statistical portrait of Auckland city exploring areas of progress, areas for celebration and reasons for concern.

Broken down into four chapters – covering economic, social, environmental, and cultural well-beings – the study is the city’s report card.

The report shows how different aspects of the city have changed and met the demands of a growing community. In order to move our city forward, it is important to know where we have been, and where we currently stand. Understanding trends is fundamental to planning the future of the city.

Some key findings of the report include:

• Last year, each Auckland city isthmus residents used enough water to fill two milk tankers – although this was the lowest recorded consumption since the early 2000s.
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• Between June 2008 and June 2009, there were enough cars registered in Auckland city to stretch the entire length of New Zealand if placed end to end but there was a 13 per cent reduction in private vehicle registration over the last four years.
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• Nearly 33,000 people use public transport to get into the CBD each morning – enough to fill Mt Smart Stadium
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• Over the past five years, Auckland city’s annual economic growth has averaged 1.4 per cent, which is higher than growth in both the Auckland region and the country
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• We’re living longer – the life expectancy of women and men in Auckland city is 83 and 79.6 years respectively
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• Between 1981 and 2006, the proportion of smokers aged 15 and over halved.
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• Auckland city has the most ethnically diverse population in the country.
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• Auckland city is younger than the rest of the country – the median age is 33.4 years for the city, compared to 35.9 years for New Zealand
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• Over the past five years, an average of 16,700 jobs were created in the city, representing a 0.8 per cent increase.
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• Between 1997 and 2005, Metrowater halved the amount of waste water pollution entering the Waitemata harbour.
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• Over the five years to December 2008, the number of exceedences of the AAQG (ambient air quality guidelines) has reduced.
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Further key findings

• Recent indicators suggest a modest economic recovery is under way in the Auckland region, which will result in the emergence of positive annual growth over 2010. (pp 13)
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• Auckland city’s economy is dominated by non-government services such as finance and insurance, property and business services, and communication services. (pp17)
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• Manufacturing’s share of Auckland city’s output continued its steady decline. (pp17)
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• Manufacturing, wholesale trade, retail trade, accommodation, cafes/restaurants and construction are all expected to experience some recovery over the next few years. (pp 19)
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• The Auckland District Health Board (ADHB) region had the highest ratio of doctors to people in the country, meaning Auckland city’s access to healthcare is higher than the national average. (pp31)
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• The number of class-four-venues and gaming machines in Auckland city both fell by over 25 per cent between June 2004 and June 2009. (pp36)
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• Major road-safety issues in Auckland city include intersections, vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, and night-time crashes. Nationally, the main road-safety issues are speed, failure to give way and use of restraints. (pp40)
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• In the year to June 2009, 281 accidental hazardous releases (spills) in the Auckland city area were reported to the Auckland Regional Council. This is a 38 per cent decrease from the year to June 2008, and a 46 per cent decrease from the year to June 2004. (pp53)
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• Bus lanes across Auckland city were increased by 4.5km from last year and 7km more than at June 2005. The cycle network was also extended by 5km. (pp59)
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• In the year to June 2009, Auckland city isthmus residents consumed 165L of water per person, per day. This was 2L per person per day less than the previous year and the lowest recorded consumption level since the early 2000s. (pp70)
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The full report is available at www.aucklandcity.govt.nz.

ENDS

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