What will Auckland look like by 2036?
Is Auckland really sucking the life out of New Zealand – and what are the long-term implications for this multi-diverse
city and for the rest of New Zealand?
The future of the Auckland region and how locals feel about these changes will be explored in a new study by Massey
University and University of Waikato researchers.
The Nga Tangata Oho Mairangi study is funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and led by
teams from the two universities. They are looking to interview 30 households of two or more people for the study.
Researchers will investigate the impact of demographic and economic changes in the Auckland region, provide a detailed
model of the nature of these changes, and also make projections about future changes out to 2036.
Auckland researcher Dr Patricia Ubeda wants to speak with Aucklanders about what is happening in their region, and what
they think about the changes, including the challenges and opportunities they present.
Research manager Dr Trudie Cain has already visited the West Coast and Southland regions for the study, and says they
are looking forward to hearing what Aucklanders have to say so they can compare residents’ perspectives.
“We are looking for a broad range of people and households – working age or retired, longstanding Auckland families or
new migrants, tertiary students or unemployed, for example. We want to find out what their perceptions are about life in
Auckland, what opportunities they see, why people move to the area – why they move away – and what would make young
people stay.”
Dr Cain says Auckland is a region of economic and historical significance, and the information gathered from these
interviews will help future planning for the Auckland region.
Auckland is one of five regions examined in the study. The other regions are Wellington, Christchurch, the West Coast
and Southland.
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