Auckland: The air’s fresh but infrastructure, graduate exodus among failings

A new report raises questions about the quality of life in our biggest city.

The report, from the Committee for Auckland, examines, among other things, levels of happiness and prosperity.

Auckland is ranked 72nd out of 250 on the global Happy City Index, which relates to the quality of life and the sense of happiness of its residents.

But it was not all bad news, according to Committee for Auckland director Mark Thomas.

“We rank in the top three in the world for the cleanliness of the air we breathe,” Thomas told Morning Report.

“We also rank really well as a place to experience.

“But we’re not shying away from the challenges and the issues people are talking about, particularly infrastructure investment.”

Thomas said the global recommendation was for more consistent investment in infrastructure as well as more credible plans.

Alongside happiness and air quality, the report also investigated how friendly Auckland was towards start-ups and entrepreneurs.

“We are only 80th out of 100 cities in terms of that area, which is called prosperity.

“We are only 122nd in terms of the number of start-ups.

“But what’s happening is positive too. The economic development agency in Auckland is leading new ‘cluster’ establishments.”

Thomas also highlighted the need to boost the city’s ‘educational attainment’, saying there was not enough investment in post-graduate education.

“We have the highest percentage of our graduates leaving Auckland, despite the fact that Auckland University has increased in the rankings.

“So, we’ve got a reason to keep people here and we need to work harder to do that.”

The Committee for Auckland is an independent, not-for-profit membership organisation, and is not part of Auckland Council.