People & Places
Doing business in Auckland City
The Mercer Quality of Life survey ranked Auckland as the fifth best city in the world to live in, and it’s no wonder as Auckland really is the ultimate lifestyle city
Auckland Central business district workers can enjoy all the benefits of the city's natural environment, which is largely formed by picturesque harbours, parks, and beaches. The CBD offers waterfront activity, a multi-cultural environment, art exhibitions, shopping, entertainment, restaurants, cafés and bars. It is also the chosen location of 70 per cent of all overseas migrants.
At the centre of the largest regional economy in the country, Auckland city, or the 'City of Sails' as it is also known, is a modern, business friendly city. It is positioned as the economic powerhouse of the Asia-Pacific region. Auckland remains the business centre of New Zealand, generating 17 per cent of the country's employment. Auckland City is committed to the Auckland region's economic prosperity and international competitiveness, and is a dominant economic player both regionally and nationally.
The city provides jobs for 297,670 people and contributes around 50 per cent of the Auckland region's GDP, while the CBD itself is the workplace for 65,000 people, and home to over 8,000 residents. Auckland's CBD is changing from a largely commercial centre to a mixed-use centre, in which accommodation, education, entertainment and tourism are as important as business.
The CBD acts as a hub for employment in government administration, insurance and finance, legal services, the hotel industry, higher education, employment placement services, and newspaper printing and publishing. Business and property services are the largest sector in the CBD accounting for 29 per cent of total employment. Within this sector, the CBD has particularly large numbers of legal, accounting and insurance services.
However, the education sector has caught up with those businesses traditionally located in the CBD. The University of Auckland and Auckland University of Technology have expanded their campuses and the Otago and Waikato universities are locating new sites in the CBD. In its planning for the CBD's future, Auckland City has taken a close look at the new face of Auckland's CBD. The creative industries have been identified by the New Zealand government as a business sector that is capable of generating a change in New Zealand's economic performance. The Auckland City labour market has remained tight. Employment in the city has continued to grow, increasing by 4.8 per cent from 2004 to 2005. However, the tight labour market has led to a lack of both skilled and unskilled labour. Over the last five years employers have found it harder to fill both skilled and unskilled positions – meaning there are plenty of opportunities for skilled migrants.
Auckland cbd: Quick facts
Location:
Auckland's CBD is at the heart of the Auckland region. It is a triangular area bounded by the Waitemata Harbour and the central motorway system.
Area:
433 hectares – similar to Sydney's CBD but twice the size of Wellington's, Christchurch's and Brisbane's.
Residents:
The estimated population of the CBD is 16,000 (June 2004). This is nearly double the 8,977 residents recorded at the 2001 Census. Back then 2.5 per cent of Auckland city's population lived in 3,771 households. This compared to 1,400 residents or 0.5 per cent of the city's population in 1991.
Workforce:
Approximately 65,000 people work in the CBD, making it the largest employment centre in New Zealand. It is home to 25 per cent of all jobs in Auckland city and nearly 13 per cent of jobs in the Auckland region.
Major industries:
Property and business, the retail trade, Technology, biotechnology, marine, film/TV production, food and beverage, engineering.
Wages:
Wages in Auckland city remain higher than for the country as a whole. Average total weekly wages (as of December 2005) for Auckland City were NZ$900 compared to NZ$808 nationally. During 2005 wage growth in Auckland city (2.7 per cent) was a little lower than for the whole of New Zealand (3.3 per cent).
Transport:
Approximately 73,000 people enter the CBD between 7am and 9am each weekday. Of these approximately 44,000 people (60 per cent) come by car approximately 27,000 (37 per cent) come by passenger transport – buses and to a lesser extent rail and ferries. Approximately 2,000 (3 per cent) walk or cycle.
Doing business in Auckland city
There are almost 8,500 businesses in the CBD, representing 18 per cent of businesses in Auckland City. The largest single business is Ports of Auckland Limited while the largest businesses in terms of employment are financial services are ICT and business services. To continue to thrive, Auckland's CBD must attract the entrepreneurial people and businesses that a successful city needs. Businesses reap the benefits of being located in Auckland's CBD. The central location in the region means relatively easy access to public transport being close to clients, suppliers and competitors and having access to shops, services and cafés.
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For further information:
Auckland City Council
Statistics New Zealand
Related articles:
Where to buy in the Auckland suburbs
North Island lifestyles