Auckland

Auckland, city, north-central North Island, New Zealand. The country’s most populous city and its largest port, Auckland occupies a narrow isthmus between Waitematā Harbour of Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana (east) and Manukau Harbour (southwest). It was established in 1840 by Gov. William Hobson as the capital of the colonial government and was named for George Eden, earl of Auckland, British first lord of the Admiralty and later governor-general of India. The most extensive urban area in New Zealand, Auckland also has the country’s greatest concentration of indigenous Māori and has large numbers of Polynesians from other islands in the South Pacific.

When Europeans arrived in the early 19th century, the region was densely populated by Māori. European settlements were located predominantly around the shores of Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana. Incorporated as a borough in 1851, Auckland remained the capital until superseded by the city of Wellington in 1865. Auckland was made a city in 1871. In 1853 Auckland province was established. It had nearly 10,000 European settlers at the time, and the city of Auckland soon became an administrative, military, and trading centre for the entire agricultural hinterland. The province of Auckland was abolished in 1876.

In 2010 the greater Auckland region became a unitary council that combined the governments of the constituent parts of the former Auckland region (one of New Zealand’s 16 regions) into one. These included the cities of Manukau, North Shore, and 11 others. All became wards in the enlarged city of Auckland. The governing body, the Auckland Council, consists of two complementary parts: a mayor, elected by all Auckland voters, who works with a 20-member council elected from the wards; and 21 local authorities (local boards). The mayor and council make policies and strategic decisions for all of Auckland, and the local boards handle issues and facilities in the 13 wards they represent.

A focal point of road and rail transportation, the urban area is also served by New Zealand’s leading international airport, at Māngere. Auckland’s most important feature is Waitematā Harbour, a 70-square-mile (180-square-km) body of water that has maximum channel depths of 33 feet (10 metres) and serves overseas and intercoastal shipping. The Auckland Harbour Bridge (1959) crosses Waitematā Harbour and links Auckland’s central business district with North Shore.

Much of the hinterland has been cleared for agriculture, although dairying and sheep raising are also important. The Ports of Auckland’s principal exports include steel, timber, paper products, dairy products, meat, fruits and vegetables, wool, and hides. Petroleum, iron and steel products, raw sugar, fruit, wheat, phosphates, sulfur, machinery, motor vehicles, and chemicals are imported. Auckland’s economy contributed some two-fifths of New Zealand’s GDP in the early 2020s. Among the metropolitan area’s principal industries are professional, scientific, and technical services, financial services, and manufacturing. The food and beverage sector in Auckland—notably meat, wine, and dairy products, along with nutraceuticals (food containing health-giving additives) and bioactives—constitutes the largest manufacturing cluster in the country. Auckland is also the centre of New Zealand’s vibrant film and television industry. There is a large iron and steel mill at Glenbrook (20 miles [32 km] south). Devonport, in North Shore ward, is the chief naval base and dockyard for New Zealand. A natural gas pipeline runs from the Maui field to Auckland.

Major institutions within the urban area include the War Memorial Museum, the Museum of Transport and Technology, the National Maritime Museum, the Auckland Art Gallery, the public library network, the University of Auckland (1957; from 1882 to 1957 Auckland University College, a constituent part of the University of New Zealand), Auckland University of Technology (2000; from 1963 to 2000 Auckland Technical Institute), and several teacher-training colleges. Also in the locality are swimming and surfing beaches, several extinct volcanic cones, golf courses, sporting grounds, and parks and reserves. In 2000, 2003, and 2021 Auckland played host to the America’s Cup yachting race finals, events that helped boost tourism in the region. Area unitary council, 2,339 square miles (6,059 square km). Pop. (2018 est.) unitary council, 1,654,800; (2021 est.) unitary council, 1,715,600.