Auckland Region
The Auckland Region, located on New Zealand's North Island, is the country's most populous area, housing approximately 1.7 million residents—over one-third of the national population. This region is renowned for its stunning natural landscapes, featuring more than 1,600 kilometers of coastline, dormant volcanic cones, and access to two major harbors: Waitematā on the east and Manukau on the west. The area has a subtropical coastal climate, characterized by warm, humid summers and mild winters, as well as the potential for tropical storms. Historically, Auckland was settled by the Māori people, with significant tribes such as Ngāti Whātua and Te Kawerau-a-Maki, who thrived in the fertile lands prior to British colonization in the 19th century.
Auckland serves as New Zealand's economic powerhouse, contributing 38% to the nation's GDP, with key industries including agriculture, finance, and tourism. The region is also notable for its cultural diversity, with a population that includes a significant number of Māori, Asian, and Polynesian residents. The Auckland city area is the most extensive urban center in New Zealand, where over 90% of its inhabitants are multilingual, reflecting a rich blend of cultural backgrounds. This vibrant and dynamic region presents a unique amalgamation of history, culture, and economic vitality.
Auckland Region
The Auckland region is the most populous region of New Zealand. It is named for the city of Auckland and contains about 1.7 million people, or about one-third of the country's entire population. Alongside Auckland city and the other urban areas, the region contains more than 1,600 kilometres of coastlines and is well known for its natural beauty. On the west coast is the Tasman Sea that offers several black sand beaches like Te Henga (Bethells) and Karekare. The east coast is on the Pacific Ocean and contains a more tranquil coastline dotted with smaller islands. It is bordered on the north by the region of Northland and Waikato on the south.
Since November 2010, the Auckland Council, a local governing body consisting of a mayor and twenty councillors, has governed the Auckland region. Like most of New Zealand, the Auckland region was initially home to the indigenous Māori people, who thrived on the fertile lands and access to rivers in the north and south. They called the area Tāmaki-makau-rau (the isthmus of a hundred lovers). The region became a British colonial settlement after the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi and thrived to become an urban centre.
Historical Perspective
New Zealand was first settled by the Māori people around the thirteenth to fourteenth century CE. The main tribes that settled on the land that now forms the Auckland region were the Ngāti Whātua, Te Kawerau-a-Maki and Ngāti Pāoa. Ngā Puhi from the north and Ngāti Whātua battled frequently over territory. The narrow region was only about eight kilometres wide and offered the Māori fertile land for horticulture and access to rivers on the north and south ends of the region. The harbours of Kaipara and Manukau provided a wealth of natural resources like seafood.
Europeans came to Auckland and traded with Apihai Te Kawau, the most prominent chief of the Ngāti Whātua. The tribe acquired guns this way and used them to overpower the Tainui for control of the land. On 20 March 1840, Te Kawau and six other chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi, drafted by British consul William Hobson and ultimately signed by about five hundred Māoris. Thereafter, the Ngāti Whātua agreed to sell the British three thousand acres of land around present-day Auckland city. Hobson became the first lieutenant-governor of the territory and named Auckland as the first capital of New Zealand. Parliament changed the capital to Wellington in 1865. British settlers flocked to the fertile land, and according to a census taken about 1850, the population swelled to 3,500 by mid-century. By 1900, Auckland was the country's largest city, which is a distinction it has largely held since.
Geography and Climate
The Auckland region, located on New Zealand's North Island, has a subtropical coastal climate. Auckland has warm, humid summers, with a mean January temperature of 19.1 degrees Celsius, and mild winters, with a mean July temperature of 10.9 degrees Celsius. Summer is prone to tropical storms that can deliver heavy rainfall and winds. Auckland experiences the greatest amount of rainfall in mid-winter, in July.
The central part of the Auckland region is spread over a narrow isthmus between the two harbours. Auckland's urban areas make up 10 per cent of the total land mass of the region, and the city itself sits between the eastern Waitematā Harbour on the Pacific Ocean and the Manukau Harbour on the Tasman Sea on the western coast. It is the most extensive urban area in New Zealand. Forty-nine dormant and extinct volcanic cones in Auckland provide the region with mountainous terrain, as well as lakes and numerous islands off its coasts. This is known as the Auckland volcanic field. The last volcanic eruption in Auckland occurred six hundred years ago.
Economy
Agriculture is prominent in the areas outside of the urban centres thanks to the fertile soil and warm climate. Sheep and cattle farming is a chief industry alongside horticulture. Onions, potatoes, olives, and salad greens were among the largest harvests of crops in Auckland region according to the 2023 Agricultural Census.
Major industries of the region include information media and telecommunications, finance and insurance, wholesale trade, and manufacturing.
Auckland is New Zealand's largest source of economic activity, contributing 38 per cent or $96.6 billion to New Zealand's gross domestic product (GDP). It is also a major import and export centre.
Tourism plays a big part in Auckland's economy. The city is the most visited destination in New Zealand. According to Infometrics, in 2023, tourism in Auckland contributed $4.5 million to New Zealand's economy. Tourism in Auckland has grown an average of 8.3 per cent annually, compared to the growth of tourism in New Zealand at 6.9 per cent.
Demographics
Auckland may be a small region, but thanks to its concentrated urban area, the 2023 Census of Population and Dwellings found that the region contained a population of about 1.7 million, which accounts for over 33 per cent of the country's population. Ninety per cent of the region's population lives in Auckland city, which is the most extensive urban area in New Zealand and has the country's largest population of indigenous Māori people. The region itself contains an extensive multicultural mix of people, including large numbers of Asians and Polynesians from other islands in the South Pacific region.
One in ten Auckland residents identify as Māori, and 39.1 per cent of residents were born overseas. The median age in Auckland is 35.9 years, and the fields of accounting; contruction; health care and social assistance employed the greatest number of workers in 2023. Over 90 per cent of the population is conversant in English, while small percentages can speak Samoan, Hindi, Northern Chinese (including Mandarin) and te reo Māori. More Auckland residents are multilingual than in the country as a whole.
Bibliography
Auckland Council. Research, Investigations and Monitoring Unit. "Auckland Profile." Auckland Census 2013. Auckland Council Social and Economic Research Team, May 2014, www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/planspoliciesprojects/reports/Documents/aucklandprofileinitialresults2013census201405.pdf. Accessed 17 June 2024.
"Auckland, New Zealand." Encyclopaedia Britannica, 22 Apr. 2024, www.britannica.com/place/Auckland-New-Zealand. Accessed 17 June 2024.
Lytton, Charlotte. "The New Zealand City with a Labyrinth of Underground Caves." BBC, 2 May 2024, www.bbc.com/future/article/20240501-the-new-zealand-city-with-a-labyrinth-of-underground-caves. Accessed 17 June 2024.
Barr, John, and George Graham. The City of Auckland, New Zealand, 1840–1920. 1922. Forgotten Books, 2016.
Stone, R. C. J. From Tamaki-makau-rau to Auckland. Auckland UP, 2001.
Stone, R. C. J. Logan Campbell's Auckland: Tales from the Early Years. Auckland UP, 2007.