About the City

Having such a wealth of natural areas yet being a major, culturally diverse city - the fifth largest in New Zealand - makes us special. Also, we like to do things a little differently here which is why we call ourselves the eco city.

The Place

The City landscape enjoys a spectacular location as the western sector of New Zealand's major metropolitan area, Auckland.

At its western edge are the magnificent bush clad Waitakere ranges and the open wild beaches of the West Coast.  To the south and east are the Manukau and Waitemata Harbours.  Its urban area, shaped by post-war expansion, forms a network of villages, town centres and suburban sprawl.

The City's diverse landscape supports orcharding, horticulture and viticulture and high amenity industrial land.

Click here to view a map of Waitakere City.  StreetLink is available free of charge from Statistics New Zealand.  It relates ranges of addresses to statistical and administrative areas such as meshblock, area unit and territorial local authority.

The City is well placed to cultivate a clean green image, and has established strengths in leisure, tourism, recreation, arts and culture.

The History

The original inhabitants of the area were Te Kawerau a Maki and Ngati Whatua.

European settlement began in the 1830s. Timber milling, kauri gum digging and flax milling were the earliest industries. Brickworks and pottery industries followed, and with more recent population growth, manufacturing and service industries have been established in the City.

Since World War II, the number of people living in Waitakere has grown rapidly, and links with urban Auckland have strengthened.

The first stage of the North Western Motorway to Te Atatu opened in 1952, encouraging suburban growth along the Waitemata Harbour in the east. At the same time, new suburbs grew up around the pioneering settlements of New Lynn, Glen Eden and Henderson and along the Manukau Harbour edge.

Increased suburban residential development occurred during the 1960s to 1980s, as the City attracted young couples and families.

West Coast settlements and the foothills of the Waitakeres have become attractive places to live, offering an alternative to the more traditional suburban lifestyle.

Now the City faces the challenges of accommodating growth while protecting its unique natural environment. Its urban villages and green network strategies are designed to promote more diverse and concentrated urban centres, to create more local jobs and to improve the base for public transport services.

Quality of Life Project

The Quality of Life Project was established in 1999 to provide social, economic and environmental indicators of quality of life in New Zealand’s six largest cities. It was initiated in response to growing pressures on urban communities, concern about the impacts of urbanisation and the effects of this on the well being of citizens. The project has gradually expanded since the release of the first Quality of Life Report in 2001 and currently twelve cities are included in the project.

The latest report was released in 2007 - check out the Quality of Life Project website to see the report, including results for Waitakere City.

Part of the Quality of Life Project is to survey residents on their quality of life.  The most recent survey was conducted in 2006.

Quality of Life Residents’ Survey 2006 – Waitakere City Results (Size 2.6M)

Media Release (November  2007)

Auckland Sustainable Cities Programme

The Auckland Sustainable Cities Programme is a three-year partnership from 2003-2006 involving the region’s seven local councils, the regional council and a number of government agencies. These organisations are working together to achieve a shared vision for the sustainable development of the Auckland region. Six work strands are helping Auckland to aim for a more sustainable built environment, better transport, a more skilled workforce, good housing conditions and strategies to settle migrants and refugees.