Auckland's growth

By the year 2036, the Auckland region could be home to two million people.

Here you can find:

• Benefits of growth
• Ensuring growth is well managed
• Map - Regional Growth Concept 2050
• Can we stop growth?

Benefits of growth

Growth that is well-planned can bring many benefits, including:

• a greater diversity of people, cultures and lifestyle, leading to a more vibrant and cosmopolitan society
• a larger labour force and skills base
• a growing market for goods and services
• potential for increased investment and productivity
• greater diversity in resources and employment
• development of a variety of community facilities, entertainment and events
• a higher profile nationally and internationally
• a large rating base, which results in more opportunities to address the environmental and infrastructural issues facing the region.

Ensuring growth is well managed

Although growth can bring great economic and social benefits, it also places pressure infrastructure and utilities (roads, pipes, power and public transport), on the natural environment and heritage, on housing availability, and on social and community facilities (schools and medical services).

To ensure growth is well managed the Auckland Regional Growth Strategy (RGS) was adopted by all councils in the Auckland Region in 1999. This strategy sets out a 50 year vision for managing growth which is to sustain:

• strong supportive communities
• a high quality living environment
• a region that is easy to get around
• protection of the coast and surrounding natural environment.

The RGS is about carefully planning and managing growth by protecting the things Aucklanders' care about most, and by providing opportunities and choices for the future. It is about:

• using quality urban design principles and urban design tools to create better places and communities for our children and grandchildren
• protecting and improving our natural environment and ecosystems for future generations
• providing choices that reflect changing demographics and lifestyles and changes over people's lifetimes
• making sure that as places change, the right infrastructure is put in place to support that change. This means well connected communities and more civic and public amenities.

The Growth strategy supports revitalising urban centres as places to live, work and play with easy access to passenger transport. It puts a focus on creating higher density, vibrant, pleasant, walkable places with easy access to a wide range of services and facilities, for more people. It supports agglomeration and productivity within the Auckland city-region.

The Growth Strategy is about protecting valued natural environments and avoiding the destruction of rural areas from inappropriate urban development and sprawl.

The Growth Strategy is about supporting choices for travel other than private vehicle - walking, cycling, passenger transport that also have important health and equity benefits for our communities.

Map - Regional Growth Concept 2050

The Growth Concept 2050 map shows where future growth will be accommodated in the region. While the focus is developing a quality compact urban form, a range of development opportunities are provided. The key principles are that:

• most future growth is within the existing metropolitan area. Development outside the current urban area only where environmental, accessibility and community principles can be met
• most urban growth is focused around centres of different sizes and major transport routes. Focus is on urban redevelopment and intensification, rather than general suburban infill
• some growth is accommodated in future urban areas (greenfield areas) in the north, south and west of the region
• rural Auckland (including rural and coastal towns) will roughly double in size as a result of continued natural growth. More growth is signaled in towns with better accessibility on rail lines
• development of the most highly valued and sensitive natural areas is avoided.

Can we stop growth?

Some people argue that we simply shouldn't let more people 'in' to Auckland - but this is not a practical solution. We cannot just put up a fence or a 'No Vacancy' sign.

Influencing the rate of growth is essentially a function of central government, and the ARC cannot:

• stop people from having children
• stop people from other parts of New Zealand moving to the region
• stop migrants choosing to settle in the Auckland Region when they are allowed into New Zealand.

Restricting the number of migrants who move to New Zealand is a potential option for slowing growth. However, decisions about migrant numbers are made by central government, and there are some strong counter arguments for welcoming more migrants into New Zealand.

Most of our growth (around two thirds) comes from natural population growth (births less deaths), so migrants only contribute to a fraction of the region's growth.

If you have specific questions about the Growth Strategy or the Auckland region's growth email or phone 09 366 2000.