Berkley Center

Auckland is New Zealand’s largest and most visible city, home to one in every three people living in the country. And it is only projected to keep on growing in the upcoming years; the city is supposed to account for a full 60 percent of population growth over the next decade, with high levels of immigration from other parts of New Zealand and especially foreign nations (particularly Asian ones) driving this growth. In fact, the latest census revealed that an astounding 40 percent of Auckland’s inhabitants were born overseas, qualifying it is a “super-diverse” city.

Auckland is emblematic of New Zealand’s move away from traditional European roots and into a new age of multiculturalism and ethnic diversity. In a country that prides itself on living the easy life, Auckland’s cultural upheaval and rapid growth puts it at odds with many other parts of the country. Compared to the rest of New Zealand, Auckland is younger, wealthier, better skilled and educated, and more ethnically diverse.

Why? Economists and outside observers attribute Auckland’s high growth and immigration to the demands of the modern global economy, as the city is home to many high-paying jobs in the service and technology sectors. It is home to branches of many international firms (similar to Georgetown, one can see a tall, black “Deloitte” building rising against the horizon), and apart from Christchurch, which is still recovering from the disastrous 2011 earthquake, Auckland was the only city I saw that had the feel of a “modern” city, like Chicago or Seattle. I’m not the only one to notice this either—when a friend studying at the University of Wellington visited several weeks ago, she told me that she could see more diversity and activity in Auckland than she was accustomed to in Wellington, the country’s capital. This environment has enormous appeal for immigrants seeking a different lifestyle than in their home countries.

Auckland’s booming population has meant a very large increase in housing prices for Auckland residents—the average sale price is $876,075 NZD ($581,544 USD), which has put house ownership out of reach for many lower-income city workers. Several people I talked to would prefer more restrictive immigration policies so as to keep house prices down, and I can’t help but to empathize with their fears that foreign money will price them out of their own homes. But new demand for housing is only one part of the problem—the city is also failing to keep up the supply of new houses to meet demand.

This population shift has other implications as well. For instance, tastes and preferences for sports are changing. There is a big increase in the number of people playing golf, basketball, badminton, table tennis, and soccer, while participation in rugby, New Zealand’s biggest sport, has failed to keep up. While one can expect rugby to remain the largest and most popular sport—the national team, the All Blacks, is the best in the world and just won its second consecutive Rugby World Cup title—the sports landscape will continue to evolve to reflect the big increase in immigration.

I’ve also noticed that Kiwis living outside of Auckland tend to view the city as “other,” as busier, more commercial. Some of the tour guides and workers in more rural areas told me they moved away from the city specifically to get some more space and fresh air. That’s not to say that Auckland doesn’t provide ample opportunities to escape the city life—if you have a car, there are very nice and isolated forests and beaches a mere half hour’s drive away. Still, most Kiwis I talked to outside of Auckland felt that the city life is not for them; they would prefer living in one of the many smaller towns that dot the New Zealand countryside. For many Kiwis, the city is so different that it could very well be another country.

Auckland’s rapidly changing demographics have made it “exhibit A” for New Zealand’s changing composition. While locals have mostly reacted positively to increased immigration, it will be interesting to see how attitudes change going forward. Only one thing is certain: Auckland and the rest of New Zealand will continue to change to reflect the new reality of life in the twenty-first century.