115-605: The Waterview Connection is a motorway section through west/central Auckland , New Zealand. It connects State Highway 20 in the south at Mt Roskill to State Highway 16 in the west at Point Chevalier , and is a part of the Western Ring Route . The Waterview Connection is 4.5 km long, of which 2.5 km are in the form of twin tunnels. The Waterview Tunnel supersedes the Lyttelton Road Tunnel as New Zealand's longest road tunnels. By 2026,
230-739: A 2024 ranking of the Global Liveability Ranking by The Economist . The Auckland isthmus was settled by Māori around 1350, and was valued for its rich and fertile land. Many pā (fortified villages) were created, mainly on the volcanic peaks. By the early 1700s, Te Waiohua , a confederation of tribes such as Ngā Oho , Ngā Riki and Ngā Iwi, became the main influential force on the Auckland isthmus, with major pā located at Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill , Māngere Mountain and Maungataketake . The confederation came to an end around 1741, when paramount chief Kiwi Tāmaki
345-502: A bachelor's or higher degree, 464,022 (41.0%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 298,851 (26.4%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $ 44,600, compared with $ 41,500 nationally. 160,164 people (14.2%) earned over $ 100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 605,601 (53.5%) people were employed full-time, 132,180 (11.7%) were part-time, and 39,441 (3.5%) were unemployed. Many ethnic groups , since
460-562: A comparative assessment of the operational performance and costs of providing three-lane tunnels, initially estimated at $ 2.14 billion. The government set up a joint public-private sector steering group to investigate the feasibility of a public-private partnership (PPP) as a procurement method for the Waterview Connection Project, evaluating the PPP alongside a conventional public sector procurement method to determine how
575-404: A designation over land for a $ 1.89 billion pair of motorway tunnels through Waterview. The board called for a report from officials on managing fumes from the tunnel "to benchmark the proposed approach incorporated in the design work to date against current international best practice". In response to submissions questioning the adequacy of just two traffic lanes running in each direction, it sought
690-498: A final design for the motorway, the NZTA was to lodge a land designation application early in 2010 with Auckland City, for a construction start in 2011-12 and completion in 2015. On 21 December 2009, NZTA announced that the tunnels would be built further east as continuous tunnels without an (open) gap halfway, and expressed confidence that they would be able to be completed within the original project budget. NZTA argued that this would be
805-602: A gift of fifteen works of art by New York art collectors and philanthropists Julian and Josie Robertson – including well-known paintings by Paul Cézanne , Pablo Picasso , Henri Matisse , Paul Gauguin and Piet Mondrian . This is the largest gift ever made to an art museum in Australasia. Other important art galleries include Mangere Arts Centre , Tautai Pacific Arts Trust , Te Tuhi , Te Uru Waitākere Contemporary Gallery , Gow Langsford Gallery , Michael Lett Gallery, Starkwhite, and Bergman Gallery . Auckland Domain
920-545: A greenhouse gas emissions tax under an emissions trading scheme. A Federated Farmers survey found that 2% supported NAIT and 80% opposed it. In November 2019, Federated Farmers meat and wool chairman Miles Anderson welcomed amendments to the national animal identification and tracing legislation and thanked the Primary Production Select Committee for listening to representations from Federated Farmers and other parties. In mid–May 2021,
1035-470: A lobbying campaign to oppose the Government's proposal to introduce an Agricultural emissions research levy . The levy was proposed to collect revenue from livestock farmers to fund research into agricultural emissions of greenhouse gases such as methane. Federated Farmers strongly opposed the plan and mocked the idea, calling it a "fart tax". The proposed levy was not implemented, but the following year,
1150-553: A memorandum of understanding was agreed between the Crown and a consortium of agriculture-based companies to pay for an unspecified portion of the costs of the Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium . In 2014, it was reported that Federated Farmers had been forced to state that they had no position on whether climate change is even real, to appease members who denied that climate change
1265-433: A more natural character than the surrounding city. Prehistoric earthworks and historic fortifications are in several of these parks, including Maungawhau / Mount Eden , North Head and Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill . Federated Farmers Federated Farmers of New Zealand is a lobby and advocacy group for all farmers: arable including fruit and vegetables, dairy and meat and their often remote communities. It has
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#17327873570641380-669: A network of 24 regional organisations and six industry groups. Federated Farmers lobbies on farming issues both nationally and within each region. Membership of the organisation is voluntary, and at 2021 it has over 13,000 members. Federated Farmers was originally incorporated in 1902 as the New Zealand Farmers Union . In 1944, a joint initiative by the New Zealand Farmers Union and the New Zealand Sheepowners' Federation led to
1495-484: A new bridge over the rail line at Soljak Place. The bridge from Soljak Place over the railway to Harbutt Reserve is the first priority of the Alan Wood Park / Soljak Place to Waterview area cycleway, public consultation to be undertaken early 2012. Auckland Transport designed the 2.5 km long "Waterview Shared Path" from Alan Wood reserve, with construction happening from March 2016 to mid-2017. As part of
1610-614: A population of 1,402,275 in the 2023 New Zealand census , an increase of 56,442 people (4.2%) since the 2018 census , and an increase of 178,734 people (14.6%) since the 2013 census . There were 692,490 males, 704,607 females and 5,178 people of other genders in 454,239 dwellings. 4.9% of people identified as LGBTIQ+ . The median age was 35.1 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 270,384 people (19.3%) aged under 15 years, 307,065 (21.9%) aged 15 to 29, 651,645 (46.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 173,178 (12.3%) aged 65 or older. Of those at least 15 years old, 290,814 (25.7%) people had
1725-531: A strong boost to local commerce. This, and continued road building towards the south into the Waikato region, enabled Pākehā (European New Zealanders) influence to spread from Auckland. The city's population grew fairly rapidly, from 1,500 in 1841 to 3,635 in 1845, then to 12,423 by 1864. The growth occurred similarly to other mercantile -dominated cities, mainly around the port and with problems of overcrowding and pollution. Auckland's population of ex-soldiers
1840-632: A timeframe of weeks to years before cessation of activity. Future eruptive activity remains a threat to the city, and will likely occur at a new, unknown location within the field. The most recent activity occurred approximately 1450 AD at the Rangitoto Volcano . This event was witnessed by Māori occupants of the area, making it the only eruption within the Auckland Volcanic Field thus far to have been observed by humans. The Auckland Volcanic Field has contributed greatly to
1955-768: Is 34.0 °C (93.2 °F) on 12 February 2009, while the minimum is −5.7 °C (21.7 °F) recorded at Riverhead Forest in June 1936 Snowfall is extremely rare: the most significant fall since the start of the 20th century was on 27 July 1939, when snow fell just before dawn and five centimetres (2 in) of snow reportedly lay on Mount Eden . Snowflakes were also seen on 28 July 1930 and 15 August 2011. Frosts in Auckland are infrequent and often localised. Henderson Riverpark receives an annual average of 27.4 ground frosts per year, while Auckland Airport receives an annual average of 8.7 ground frosts per year. Average sea temperature around Auckland varies throughout
2070-728: Is New Zealand's leading economic hub. The University of Auckland , founded in 1883, is the largest university in New Zealand. The city's significant tourist attractions include national historic sites, festivals, performing arts, sports activities and a variety of cultural institutions, such as the Auckland War Memorial Museum , the Museum of Transport and Technology , and the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki . Its architectural landmarks include
2185-477: Is defined by Statistics New Zealand under the Statistical Standard for Geographic Areas 2018 (SSGA18), spans 607.07 square kilometres (234.39 sq mi) and extends to Long Bay in the north, Swanson in the north-west, and Runciman in the south. Auckland's functional urban area (commuting zone) extends from just south of Warkworth in the north to Meremere in the south, incorporating
2300-555: Is fed entirely by basaltic magma sourced from the mantle at a depth of 70–90 km below the city, and is unrelated to the explosive, subduction -driven volcanism of the Taupō Volcanic Zone in the Central North Island region of Aotearoa, New Zealand, ~250 km away. The Auckland Volcanic Field is considered to be a monogenetic volcanic field , with each volcano erupting only a single time, usually over
2415-695: Is home to several notable yacht clubs and marinas, including the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and Westhaven Marina , the largest of the Southern Hemisphere . The Waitematā Harbour has several swimming beaches, including Mission Bay and Kohimarama on the south side of the harbour, and Stanley Bay on the north side. On the eastern coastline of the North Shore, where the Rangitoto Channel divides
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#17327873570642530-556: Is located in the greater Auckland Region , the area governed by Auckland Council , which includes outlying rural areas and the islands of the Hauraki Gulf , and which has a total population of 1,798,300 as of June 2024. It is the most populous city of New Zealand and the fifth largest city in Oceania. While Europeans continue to make up the plurality of Auckland's population, the city became multicultural and cosmopolitan in
2645-518: Is one of the largest parks in the city, it is close to the Auckland CBD and has a good view of the Hauraki Gulf and Rangitoto Island . Smaller parks close to the city centre are Albert Park , Myers Park , Western Park and Victoria Park . While most volcanic cones in the Auckland volcanic field have been affected by quarrying, many of the remaining cones are now within parks, and retain
2760-448: Is set to grow to an estimated 1.9 million inhabitants by 2031 in a medium-variant scenario. This substantial increase in population will have a huge impact on transport, housing and other infrastructure that are, particularly in the case of housing, that are considered to be under pressure already. The high-variant scenario shows the region's population growing to over two million by 2031. In July 2016, Auckland Council released, as
2875-582: The Auckland Province until the provincial system was abolished in 1876. In response to the ongoing rebellion by Hōne Heke in the mid-1840s, the government encouraged retired but fit British soldiers and their families to migrate to Auckland to form a defence line around the port settlement as garrison soldiers. By the time the first Fencibles arrived in 1848, the Northern War had concluded. Outlying defensive towns were then constructed to
2990-463: The Auckland Region , an administrative region that takes its name from the city. The region encompasses the city centre, as well as suburbs, surrounding towns, nearshore islands, and rural areas north and south of the urban area. The Auckland central business district is the most built-up area of the region. The CBD covers 433 hectares (1,070 acres) in a triangular area, and is bounded by
3105-549: The Auckland waterfront on the Waitematā Harbour and the inner-city suburbs of Ponsonby , Newton and Parnell . The central areas of the city are located on the Auckland isthmus , less than two kilometres wide at its narrowest point, between Māngere Inlet and the Tamaki River . There are two harbours surrounding this isthmus: Waitematā Harbour to the north, which extends east to the Hauraki Gulf and thence to
3220-598: The Crown and the Church . Soon after signing the treaty, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei made a strategic gift of 3,500 acres (1,400 ha) of land on the Waitematā Harbour to the new Governor of New Zealand, William Hobson , for the new capital , which Hobson named for George Eden, Earl of Auckland , then Viceroy of India . Auckland was founded on 18 September 1840 and was officially declared New Zealand's capital in 1841, and
3335-530: The Department of Conservation , and the Tūpuna Maunga o Tāmaki Makaurau Authority . The Auckland urban area, as defined by Statistics New Zealand, covers 605.67 km (233.85 sq mi). The urban area has an estimated population of 1,531,400 as of June 2024, 28.7 percent of New Zealand's population . The city has a population larger than the entire South Island (1,260,000). The urban area had
3450-696: The Harbour Bridge , the Town Hall , the Ferry Building and the Sky Tower , which is the second-tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere after Thamrin Nine . The city is served by Auckland Airport , which handled 18.5 million passengers in 2024. Auckland is one of the world's most liveable cities in the world, ranking third in the 2023 Mercer Quality of Living Survey and at ninth place in
3565-532: The Hibiscus Coast in the northeast, Helensville , Parakai , Muriwai , Waimauku , Kumeū - Huapai , and Riverhead in the northwest, Beachlands-Pine Harbour and Maraetai in the east, and Pukekohe , Clarks Beach , Patumāhoe , Waiuku , Tuakau and Pōkeno (the latter two in the Waikato region) in the south. Auckland forms New Zealand's largest urban area . The Auckland urban area lies within
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3680-535: The National Farming Review and Tussock Talk . During the 2020 New Zealand general election , Federated Farmer released a manifesto. In 2009, Federated Farmers opposed the Government's new National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT) scheme, claiming that it would impose extra costs on farmers which outweighed the benefits. Farmers also feared that the NAIT scheme would be used to impose
3795-698: The Trewartha climate classification and according to the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), the city's climate is classified as humid subtropical climate with warm summers and mild winters (Trewartha climate classification Cfbl ). It is the warmest main centre of New Zealand. The average daily maximum temperature is 23.7 °C (74.7 °F) in February and 14.7 °C (58.5 °F) in July. The maximum recorded temperature
3910-672: The Whau local board area. Europeans formed the plurality in the Henderson-Massey , Maungakiekie-Tāmaki and Papakura local board areas, and formed the majority in the remaining 11 local board areas. Māori did not form a majority or plurality in any local board area but are in the highest concentrations in the Manurewa and Papakura local board areas. Immigration to New Zealand is heavily concentrated towards Auckland (partly for job market reasons). This strong focus on Auckland has led
4025-649: The $ 40m project at the Maioro Street interchange. In November 2010, NZTA continued to negotiate the acquiring of the Faulkner Collins factory and offices from Stoddard Rd in Mt Roskill under the public works act, in order to make way for the Maioro St interchange connection to Stoddard Rd. Faulkner Collins employees took turns sleeping at the factory, fearing that NZTA would change the locks during
4140-562: The 2023 census, where people could identify as more than one ethnicity, the results were 44.0% European ( Pākehā ); 12.2% Māori ; 18.7% Pasifika ; 34.9% Asian ; 2.9% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 1.7% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 91.5%, Māori language by 2.7%, Samoan by 5.3% and other languages by 32.0%. No language could be spoken by 2.4% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language
4255-479: The Asian population had reached 18.0 per cent in Auckland, and 36.2 per cent in the central city. New arrivals from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea gave a distinctive character to the areas where they clustered, while a range of other immigrants introduced mosques, Hindu temples, halal butchers and ethnic restaurants to the suburbs. The boundaries of Auckland are imprecisely defined. The Auckland urban area , as it
4370-744: The Auckland City Council and Waitakere City Council, over the Rosebank option, which was the preferred route of the Auckland Regional Council . The previous AW1 and AW4 routes favoured a New North Road interchange with ramps facing south, and full connections at the Waterview interchange. The preferred route was announced with a Great North Road interchange replacing New North Road and no southbound access at Waterview. This proved unpopular with local residents, and it
4485-548: The Board of Inquiry. Enabling works began in January 2012 between the Maioro Street interchange and Alan Wood Park and included: Local electricity distribution company Vector also carried out enabling works to supply electricity to the tunnel portal sites for construction, and included: Beginning July 2012 Beginning May 2013 (note that works at the northern end will not initially involve tunnel boring) On 24 March 2017, it
4600-528: The Great North Road interchange at Waterview (e.g. AW1, AW4). It was generally assumed that below-ground construction would be required where AR3 passed through Avondale Heights, to a maximum depth of 41 m. On the basis of technical and environmental assessments, the AR3 and AW4 route options were dismissed. Transit New Zealand selected the Waterview connection as its preferred route, with the support of
4715-726: The Pacific Ocean, and Manukau Harbour to the south, which opens west to the Tasman Sea . Bridges span parts of both harbours, notably the Auckland Harbour Bridge crossing the Waitematā Harbour west of the central business district. The Māngere Bridge and the Upper Harbour Bridge span the upper reaches of the Manukau and Waitematā Harbours, respectively. In earlier times, portages crossed
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4830-531: The Royal New Zealand Navy , and the Museum of Transport and Technology . The Auckland Art Gallery is the largest stand-alone gallery in New Zealand with a collection of over 17,000 artworks, including prominent New Zealand and Pacific Island artists, as well as international painting, sculpture and print collections ranging in date from 1376 to the present day. In 2009, the Gallery was promised
4945-534: The SH20 Mt Roskill extension, NZTA widened Maioro Street from two to four lanes, completed mid-2009. The Auckland City Council was responsible for widening the remaining route to New Lynn, i.e. New Windsor Road, Tiverton Road and Wolverton Road. While it completed some widening of Tiverton Road in 2007, Council deferred completing any more widening until 2015–2020. In late 2011, Auckland Transport called for expressions of interest from contractors to complete
5060-631: The SH20 connection works, either to mitigate negative effects on the environment, or to provide for other transport modes. Enabling works and allowance for the Avondale–Southdown Line are a part of constructing SH20. KiwiRail sees this route as strategically important as it is the only real alternative for a cross-isthmus heavy rail route, as upgrading of the existing Newmarket Line is not realistically feasible or possible. KiwiRail requested that any tunnel construction not preclude rail above it in
5175-541: The Second World War, the city's transport system and urban form became increasingly dominated by the motor vehicle. Arterial roads and motorways became both defining and geographically dividing features of the urban landscape. They also allowed further massive expansion that resulted in the growth of suburban areas such as the North Shore (especially after the construction of the Auckland Harbour Bridge in
5290-486: The alliance model, in which financial risks and incentives are shared among all partners. In December 2011, the construction consortium proposed relocating the northern stack from the east side of Great North Rd, to the north side of Herdman Street. As the Earth Pressure Balance tunnel boring machine (TBM) would be able to bore much closer to the surface than techniques assumed during the design phase,
5405-629: The application to be considered by a new governmental body, the Environmental Protection Authority , a fast-track process which bypasses normal resource consent and Environment Court processes, in favour of a fixed 9-month process led by a "Board of Enquiry", whose decision cannot be appealed except on points of law. The decision to fast-track was cited as necessary to avoid approval delays which had held up other projects for over 15 years, though local groups were pessimistic about their chance to achieve fair mitigation within
5520-464: The arrival of Europeans. After a British colony was established in New Zealand in 1840, William Hobson , then Lieutenant-Governor of New Zealand, chose Auckland as its new capital . Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei made a strategic gift of land to Hobson for the new capital. Hobson named the area after George Eden, Earl of Auckland , British First Lord of the Admiralty . Māori–European conflict over land in
5635-488: The associated lack of international migration. At the 2018 Census, in the local board areas of Upper Harbour, Waitematā, Puketāpapa and Howick, overseas-born residents outnumbered those born in New Zealand. The most common birthplaces of overseas-born residents were mainland China (6.2%), India (4.6%), England (4.4%), Fiji (2.9%), Samoa (2.5%), South Africa (2.4%), Philippines (2.0%), Australia (1.4%), South Korea (1.4%), and Tonga (1.3%). A study from 2016 showed Auckland has
5750-463: The census question. Recent immigration from Asia has added to the religious diversity of the city, increasing the number of people affiliating with Buddhism , Hinduism , Islam and Sikhism , although there are no figures on religious attendance. There is also a small, long-established Jewish community. Auckland is experiencing substantial population growth via immigration (two-thirds of growth) and natural population increases (one-third), and
5865-481: The city's Western Ring Route. Transport Minister Annette King asked officials to do more work on several critical factors before the Government committed to a PPP. In October 2008 the NZ Transport Agency released report findings which showed that tunnel emissions would have a negligible effect on local air quality. These findings were disputed by Waterview Primary School representatives, who claimed that
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#17327873570645980-888: The city's cultural diversity include the Pasifika Festival , Polyfest, and the Auckland Lantern Festival , all of which are the largest of their kind in New Zealand. Additionally, Auckland regularly hosts the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Royal New Zealand Ballet . Auckland is part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the category of music. Important institutions include the Auckland Art Gallery , Auckland War Memorial Museum , New Zealand Maritime Museum , National Museum of
6095-500: The combined surface/tunnel alignment for the Waterview Connection. The Board was confident that the project's effects could be managed in a fair and reasonable way and that many of the community concerns would be addressed through good design. Over the following two months the NZTA was to provide the Board with details on how a range of issues would be addressed, including: Subject to board approval on 27 November 2009 of
6210-547: The construction period but this was dropped for the EPA submission. Documents shown during the public consultation phase in early 2010 showed a proposed walkway and cycleway generally following the line of the motorway / tunnel alignment, connecting the existing SH16 Cycleway with the end of the then-existing SH20 Cycleway , including a walking/cycling bridge over Oakley Creek at Phyllis Street. However, at lodgement time in 2010, NZTA clarified that it would only build cycleways along
6325-406: The country's container trade in 2015. The face of urban Auckland changed when the government's immigration policy began allowing immigrants from Asia in 1986. This has led to Auckland becoming a multicultural city, with people of all ethnic backgrounds. According to the 1961 census data, Māori and Pacific Islanders comprised 5 per cent of Auckland's population; Asians less than 1 per cent. By 2006,
6440-483: The country, and employs 60 staff. In addition to the regional member organisations, Federated Farmers has six industry groups: Arable, Dairy, Goats, High country, Meat & wool and Rural butchers. The organisation has recently introduced a discounted membership category for owners of lifestyle farm blocks. Federated Farmers has several publications including a weekly newsletter called Friday Flash , which has 11,000 subscribers as of 2021. Other publications include
6555-460: The cultivation of crops, such as kūmara . Following European arrival, many of the maunga were transformed into quarries to supply the growing city with aggregate and building materials, and as a result were severely damaged or entirely destroyed. A number of the smaller maar craters and tuff rings were also removed during earthworks. Most of the remaining volcanic centres are now preserved within recreational reserves administered by Auckland Council ,
6670-422: The cut and cover tunneling technique was not required below Great North Road. That meant that a duct below Great North Rd to a stack on the east side could not be constructed at the same time as the tunnels. The northern location for the stack had been studied earlier but dismissed because of greater cost, and the location had also created concerns among locals due to greater visual effects than that finally chosen by
6785-690: The desirability of its natural resources and geography. Auckland lies between the Hauraki Gulf to the east, the Hunua Ranges to the south-east, the Manukau Harbour to the south-west, and the Waitākere Ranges and smaller ranges to the west and north-west. The surrounding hills are covered in rainforest and the landscape is dotted with 53 volcanic centres that make up the Auckland Volcanic Field . The central part of
6900-478: The existing privately owned empty site adjoining Alan Wood Park and future surface motorway. The existing fields at Waterview Reserve and Alan Wood Park will be lost. NZTA propose to construct new fields adjacent to the Waterview interchange, and above the tunnel entrances at Alan Wood Park. These would likely be used as construction lay down areas during construction. During the project Expo's, NZTA had proposed to develop additional fields at Phyllis St for use during
7015-421: The facility. Cycling advocates Cycle Action Auckland lauded the decision as a resounding win for cycling in Auckland, and a key part in making the Waterview Connection into a truly multi-modal project. The approximate route of the cycleway will be from near Alford Street in Waterview, crossing a new bridge over Oakley Creek, then through Phyllis Reserve, before crossing to Alan Wood Park in New Windsor/Owairaka via
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#17327873570647130-457: The fast-tracked applications. Calls by Auckland City Council and an affected community board to extend the deadline were rejected on the grounds of the tight statutory timeframe. The consenting process continued in parallel with the tendering process in order to save time. On 3 September 2010, NZTA's application for designation and resource consents for the Waterview Connection section of the Western Ring Route 'road of national significance project'
7245-428: The formation of Federated Farmers, and a new incorporated society, Federated Farmers of New Zealand Inc was registered on 30 November 1944. There were 43,000 members of Federated Farmers in 1971. The organisation is a federation of 24 independent regional bodies (provinces) that are separate incorporated societies. As of 2021, there were 13,000 members of Federated Farmers. The parent body has 11 offices around
7360-442: The fourth largest foreign-born population in the world, only behind Dubai , Toronto and Brussels , with 39% of its residents born overseas. Religious affiliations in the 2023 census were 35.7% Christian , 6.1% Hindu , 3.3% Islam , 0.9% Māori religious beliefs , 2.1% Buddhist , 0.3% New Age , 0.2% Jewish , and 2.8% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 42.7%, and 6.0% of people did not answer
7475-420: The future, nor the possibility of rail being trenched to cross below New North Road to connect to the existing North Auckland Line . Passive open space will be lost during construction of the motorway to construction lay down areas and lost permanently where the motorway & associated structures are built. NZTA has proposed replacement passive open space below & around the Waterview interchange ramps, and
7590-421: The group welcomed the 2021 New Zealand budget 's allocation of $ 22 million in funding to the NAIT scheme, streamlining farm planning, and agricultural emissions research. By 2003, research into greenhouse gas emissions in New Zealand had indicated that approximately half of total emissions were attributable to agriculture - mostly methane and nitrous oxide . However, in 2003 Federated Farmers became involved in
7705-412: The growth and prosperity of the Auckland Region since the area was settled by humans. Initially, the maunga (scoria cones) were occupied and established as pā (fortified settlements) by Māori due to the strategic advantage their elevation provided in controlling resources and key portages between the Waitematā and Manukau harbours. The rich volcanic soils found in these areas also proved ideal for
7820-576: The hearings process. One of them was the shape and locations of the two proposed ventilation shaft buildings near the northern and southern tunnel entries, and their likely effect on local visual amenity (with the shafts, at 25m-27m height, proposed to tower visibly over surrounding suburban areas) and local air pollution levels (where an independent report considered that the NZTA had been too optimistic in terms of pollution conditions during traffic jams and due to induced demand ). Other matters included effects on local neighbourhoods, even those where demolition
7935-400: The immigration services to award extra points towards immigration visa requirements for people intending to move to other parts of New Zealand. Immigration from overseas into Auckland is partially offset by the net emigration of people from Auckland to other regions of New Zealand. In 2021 and 2022, Auckland recorded its only decreases in population, primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic and
8050-408: The inner Hauraki Gulf islands from the mainland, there are popular swimming beaches at Cheltenham and Narrow Neck in Devonport , Takapuna , Milford , and the various beaches further north in the area known as East Coast Bays. The west coast has popular surf beaches such as Piha , Muriwai and Te Henga (Bethells Beach) . The Whangaparāoa Peninsula , Orewa , Ōmaha and Pākiri , to the north of
8165-401: The lack of good public transport, and increasing housing costs have been cited by many Aucklanders as among the strongest negative factors of living there, together with crime that has been rising in recent years. Nonetheless, Auckland ranked third in a survey of the quality of life of 215 major cities of the world (2015 data). One of Auckland's nicknames, the "City of Sails", is derived from
8280-463: The late 1950s), and Manukau City in the south. Economic deregulation in the mid-1980s led to very dramatic changes to Auckland's economy, and many companies relocated their head offices from Wellington to Auckland. The region was now the nerve centre of the entire national economy. Auckland also benefited from a surge in tourism, which brought 75 per cent of New Zealand's international visitors through its airport. Auckland's port handled 31 per cent of
8395-407: The late 20th century, have had an increasing presence in Auckland, making it by far the country's most cosmopolitan city. Historically, Auckland's population has been of majority European origin, though the proportion of those of Asian or other non-European origins has increased in recent decades due to the removal of restrictions directly or indirectly based on race . Europeans continue to make up
8510-463: The late-20th century, with Asians accounting for 34.9% of the city's population in 2023. Auckland has the fourth largest foreign-born population in the world, with 39% of its residents born overseas. With its sizable population of Pasifika New Zealanders , the city is also home to the largest ethnic Polynesian population in the world. The Māori-language name for Auckland is Tāmaki Makaurau , meaning "Tāmaki desired by many", in reference to
8625-474: The link is expected to carry 83,000 vehicles a day. There are three lanes of traffic in each tunnel. The project had an extensive planning history, with the earliest consultation in 2000, though the proposal for a route roughly in the area dates from much earlier. Several routes were considered, all being variations of either a connection to SH16 along the Rosebank Peninsula (e.g. AR1, AR3) or at
8740-573: The main urban area, are also nearby. Many Auckland beaches are patrolled by surf lifesaving clubs, such as Piha Surf Life Saving Club the home of Piha Rescue . All surf lifesaving clubs are part of the Surf Life Saving Northern Region . Queen Street , Britomart , Ponsonby Road , Karangahape Road , Newmarket and Parnell are major retail areas. Major markets include those held in Ōtara and Avondale on weekend mornings. A number of shopping centres are located in
8855-859: The middle- and outer-suburbs, with Westfield Newmarket , Sylvia Park , Botany Town Centre and Westfield Albany being the largest. A number of arts events are held in Auckland, including the Auckland Festival , the Auckland Triennial, the New Zealand International Comedy Festival , and the New Zealand International Film Festival . The Auckland Philharmonia is the city and region's resident full-time symphony orchestra, performing its own series of concerts and accompanying opera and ballet. Events celebrating
8970-668: The morning and dies down again in the evening. The early morning calm on the isthmus during settled weather, before the sea breeze rises, was described as early as 1853: "In all seasons, the beauty of the day is in the early morning. At that time, generally, a solemn stillness holds, and a perfect calm prevails...". Fog is a common occurrence for Auckland, especially in autumn and winter. Whenuapai Airport experiences an average of 44 fog days per year. Auckland occasionally suffers from air pollution due to fine particle emissions. There are also occasional breaches of guideline levels of carbon monoxide . While maritime winds normally disperse
9085-525: The most cost-effective option for constructing this section, and would require 205 houses to be bulldozed. Underground land would need to be purchased from 105 properties. The board had decided against including a central interchange at New North Road . Construction on the project was proposed to start in mid to late 2011 with an anticipated completion date in the 2015/16 financial year. The revised route map shows road header constructed tunnels running from Alan Wood Park opposite Range View / Stewart Roads, under
9200-490: The motorway after the hearings process, many noted that they felt that the tunneling (compared to a 2009 surface alignment) and the added mitigation prescribed on NZTA by the board, had helped to make the result more acceptable for the local communities. While some described the process as a " David and Goliath " fight, most agreed that the board had handled the process well, and listened to local concerns. In March 2010, NZTA announced that $ 10 million enabling works would start at
9315-674: The narrowest sections of the isthmus. Several islands of the Hauraki Gulf are administered as part of the Auckland Region, though they are not part of the Auckland urban area. Parts of Waiheke Island effectively function as Auckland suburbs, while various smaller islands near Auckland are mostly zoned 'recreational open space' or are nature sanctuaries. Under the Köppen climate classification , Auckland has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb ). However, under
9430-546: The nearby Northwestern Motorway for $ 240 million) of three-lane tunnels. Because he was "not comfortable" with the idea of reducing the tunnels to two lanes with no ability to enlarge them for future traffic demand, he gave officials until April to review all options for a connection of State Highway 20 to the Northwestern Motorway at Waterview, including a potentially disruptive surface route through Mount Albert and previously discarded "cut and cover" proposals. He
9545-476: The new weapons to seek refuge in areas less exposed to coastal raids. As a result, the region had relatively low numbers of Māori when settlement by European New Zealanders began. On 20 March 1840 in the Manukau Harbour area where Ngāti Whātua farmed, paramount chief Apihai Te Kawau signed the Treaty of Waitangi . Ngāti Whātua sought British protection from Ngāpuhi as well as a reciprocal relationship with
9660-468: The night. 16 November 2010, NZTA announced the two shortlisted competitors to construct the project, being two alliances of companies, one jointly led by McConnell Dowell and Fletcher Construction and one led by Fulton Hogan in partnership with Australia's Leighton Contractors . A third consortium led by Baulderstone missed out on selection. As of May 2010, it was known that each of the two remaining tenderers had about 140-150 staff preparing bids for
9775-637: The north end of Hendon Ave and under Pak 'n Save, continuing under the ends of Powell St & Craddock St, under the Phyllis St softball fields, under the Oakley Creek waterfall and reserve with a final section of cut & cover under Great North Rd and emerging in Waterview Park as per previous options. In 2009, Minister of Transport Steven Joyce declared the project one of the " Roads of National Significance ". Crucially, this step allowed
9890-446: The outcome of a three-year study and public hearings, its Unitary Plan for Auckland. The plan aims to free up to 30 percent more land for housing and allows for greater intensification of the existing urban area, creating 422,000 new dwellings in the next 30 years. Positive aspects of Auckland life are its mild climate, plentiful employment and educational opportunities, as well as numerous leisure facilities. Meanwhile, traffic problems,
10005-449: The plurality of the city's population, but no longer constitute a majority after decreasing in proportion from 54.6% to 48.1% between the 2013 and 2018 censuses. Asians now form the second-largest ethnic group, making up nearly one-third of the population. Auckland is home to the largest ethnic Polynesian population of any city in the world, with a sizeable population of Pacific Islanders ( Pasifika ) and indigenous Māori people . In
10120-408: The pollution relatively quickly it can sometimes become visible as smog, especially on calm winter days. The city of Auckland straddles the Auckland Volcanic Field , an area which in the past, produced at least 53 small volcanic centres over the last ~193,000 years, represented by a range of surface features including maars (explosion craters), tuff rings , scoria cones, and lava flows. It
10235-454: The popularity of sailing in the region. 135,000 yachts and launches are registered in Auckland, and around 60,500 of the country's 149,900 registered yachtsmen are from Auckland, with about one in three Auckland households owning a boat. The Viaduct Basin , on the western edge of the CBD, hosted three America's Cup challenges ( 2000 Cup , 2003 Cup and 2021 Cup ). The Waitematā Harbour
10350-442: The project represented a "tunnel with no hill", costed at that time at about $ 1.9 billion or about $ 600 million a kilometre. Therefore, the motorway should instead be built as a surface road, and the savings invested into water storage projects benefitting farming. On 30 January 2009 Transport Minister Steven Joyce announced his concern with the $ 3.16 billion cost (including financing costs of more than $ 500 million and an upgrade of
10465-608: The project, and one tenderer, after the decision, noted that they had spent about $ 18 million preparing the bid. Construction start was expected to be before Christmas 2011. In mid-2011, it was announced that the 'Well Connected' consortium led by Fletcher Construction had won the tender, for $ 1.3 billion. The consortium also included McConnell Dowell Obayashi Corporation , PB New Zealand, Beca Infrastructure and Tonkin + Taylor , as well as five sub-alliance partners and contractors: SICE, Wilson Tunnelling, Downer EDI Works, Boffa Miskell and Warren and Mahoney . The consortium worked on
10580-547: The proposed Waterview Connection was the most cost-effective way of completing the Western Ring Road, with a reconsideration of the costs and benefits of the alternative Rosebank route. In 2009, the CEO of Federated Farmers , Conor English (brother of Finance Minister Bill English ), announced that Federated Farmers wanted the government to review the tunnelling with a view to cancelling it. He argued in an editorial that
10695-468: The region led to war in the mid-19th century. In 1865, Auckland was replaced by Wellington as the capital, but continued to grow, initially because of its port and the logging and gold-mining activities in its hinterland, and later because of pastoral farming (especially dairy farming) in the surrounding area, and manufacturing in the city itself. It has been the nation's largest city throughout most of its history. Today, Auckland's central business district
10810-403: The report hadn't taken into account the impact of tolling "which could add more traffic to surface roads", hadn't given sufficient consideration to "international best practice on air filtering", and had failed to account for "ventilation fans being turned off during off-peak times, allowing emissions to escape through the tunnel openings". They also asked for reconsideration of "taking a section of
10925-559: The school’s playing field for use during the five-year construction period". Concern was also expressed by developer Greg Burgess, who had consent for building 83 new homes 19 metres away from the Owairaka ventilation stack. The developer wanted the ventilation stack moved further away, but there were worries that fumes might be pushed closer to Christ the King School. The Auckland Regional Council requested NZTA to reconsider whether
11040-482: The sections that are not located in a tunnel, leaving the potential for a connecting cycleway between SH16 and SH20 in doubt. After a several-months-long hearing process, the Board of Inquiry in mid-2011 however came to the decision that a walkway and cycleway along the tunnel alignment was a required mitigation for open space loss in the areas around both tunnel portals (though not technically as transport mitigation), and that NZTA will have to pay for (though not build)
11155-540: The short section between the bored and cut and cover tunnel portals near the Great North Rd and Blockhouse Bay Rd intersection were the largest differences between this new preferred route and the previous bored tunnel option. At $ 1,165 million, it was cheaper than the $ 1,974 million two-lane bored tunnel option and the $ 2,335 million three-lane bored tunnel option. On 11 September 2009 the NZTA Board confirmed
11270-480: The south, stretching in a line from the port village of Onehunga in the west to Howick in the east. Each of the four settlements had about 800 settlers; the men were fully armed in case of emergency, but spent nearly all their time breaking in the land and establishing roads. In the early 1860s, Auckland became a base against the Māori King Movement , and the 12,000 Imperial soldiers stationed there led to
11385-439: The southeastern end of the route, diverting a sewer line and a tributary of Oakley Creek in preparation for the new Maioro St interchange. While the works would occur on land already designated as motorway, local groups were concerned that the move preempted the consenting process for the main alignment, which still was to happen at that stage. In October 2010, NZTA signed a contract with Fletcher construction to complete stage 2 of
11500-400: The teaching resource. In June 2021, Federated Farmers' national president Andrew Hoggard called for the Government's electric car rebate scheme to include a waiver for farmers and tradespersons due to the lack of electric vehicle alternatives for the utes commonly used by these occupations. Presidents include: In 2021 the chief executive is Terry Copeland. Formed in 1926 as part of
11615-671: The tight process. The tunnel sections would now be approximately 2.4 km long. Also included in the fast-tracked project was the decision to undertake significant capacity-related widening works on State Highway 16 , which are outside of the Waterview area (from St Lukes Road interchange to beyond Te Atatū ), which were bundled into the application process which consists of 54 resource consents and 7 designations. With around 40 folders of materials and plans to go through, local community groups expressed anger in October 2010 that they would have only four weeks to formulate submissions regarding
11730-514: The transfer of the administration from Russell (now Old Russell ) in the Bay of Islands was completed in 1842. However, even in 1840 Port Nicholson (later renamed Wellington ) was seen as a better choice for an administrative capital because of its proximity to the South Island , and Wellington became the capital in 1865. After losing its status as capital, Auckland remained the principal city of
11845-479: The two methods compared in terms of value for money. The steering group had as an independent chairperson, Sir Brian Elwood , and reported directly to the Ministers of Finance and Transport. It was announced on 26 August 2008 that the steering group had advised the Government that a public-private partnership (PPP) - which would require a $ 2 toll per trip - was the best way of building the new $ 2 billion section of
11960-506: The urban area occupies a narrow isthmus between the Manukau Harbour on the Tasman Sea and the Waitematā Harbour on the Pacific Ocean. Auckland is one of the few cities in the world to have a harbour on each of two separate major bodies of water. The Auckland isthmus was first settled c. 1350 and was valued for its rich and fertile land. The Māori population in the area is estimated to have peaked at 20,000 before
12075-540: The works. Construction was expected to start in the first half of 2012 subject to tender and NZTA funding, and take up to two years to complete. On 17 April 2012 Auckland Transport announced that NZTA would fund 53% of the project. Auckland Auckland ( / ˈ ɔː k l ə n d / AWK -lənd ; Māori : Tāmaki Makaurau ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand . It has an urban population of about 1,531,400 (June 2024). It
12190-487: The year. The water temperature is warmest in February when it averages 21 °C (70 °F), while in August, the water temperature is at its coolest, averaging 14 °C (57 °F). Prevailing winds in Auckland are predominantly from the southwest. The mean annual wind speed for Auckland Airport is 18 kilometres per hour (11 mph). During the summer months there is often a sea breeze in Auckland which starts in
12305-446: Was announced that the planned April 2017 opening of the $ 1.6 billion project was being held up for another two months because of issues with its fire sprinklers. On 11 June 2017 it was announced that the tunnel would open in early July 2017. The tunnels opened at 12:47 am on 2 July 2017, with three police cars leading the first vehicles through the northbound tunnel. A number of not directly motorway-related projects will form part of
12420-506: Was considered unlikely a bored tunnel could accommodate an interchange because of its depth. On 7 February 2008, bored tunnels were announced as Transit's preferred option. The NZ Transport Agency 's preferred option was a pair of two-lane tunnels costing $ 1.89 billion, rather than a pair of three-lane tunnels costing $ 2.14 billion. NZTA's traffic modelling indicated that two-lane tunnels would reach capacity within 10 years of operation. Map of Tunnel Route Transit NZ's board resolved to seek
12535-485: Was far greater than that of other settlements: about 50 per cent of the population was Irish, which contrasted heavily with the majority English settlers in Wellington, Christchurch or New Plymouth . The majority of settlers in the early period were assisted by receiving cheap passage to New Zealand. Trams and railway lines shaped Auckland's rapid expansion in the early first half of the 20th century. However, after
12650-559: Was killed in battle by Ngāti Whātua hapū Te Taoū chief Te Waha-akiaki. From the 1740s onwards, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei became the major influential force on the Auckland isthmus. The Māori population in the area is estimated to have been about 20,000 before the arrival of Europeans. The introduction of firearms at the end of the eighteenth century, which began in Northland , upset the balance of power and led to devastating intertribal warfare beginning in 1807, causing iwi who lacked
12765-565: Was known by 0.4%. The percentage of people born overseas was 44.9, compared with 28.8% nationally. At the 2023 census the Pasifika population formed the majority in the Māngere-Ōtāhuhu local board area and the plurality in the Ōtara-Papatoetoe and Manurewa local board areas. The Asian population formed the majority in the Howick and Puketāpapa local board areas and the plurality in
12880-478: Was not expected, such as for several apartment buildings directly adjacent to a multi-year construction site. On 9 May 2011 it was reported that the board had directed NZTA to, among other mitigation changes: The draft decision on the overall project was released end of May 2011, confirming the matters of the earlier direction, with the final result not significantly different when released end of June 2011. While community groups still expressed negative views about
12995-451: Was occurring. In January 2020, Federated Farmers launched a petition calling for the withdrawal and amendment of a new Ministry of Education teaching resource on climate change . The farming group's climate change spokesperson Andrew Hoggard called for balance in the climate change teaching material, taking issue with idea that eating red meat was damaging to the environment. Federated Farmers also called for more input from farmers in
13110-485: Was referred to a Board of Inquiry. The EPA publicly notified the application package on 18 September 2010, with the period for public submissions closing 15 October 2010. Evidence needed to be produced and provided to NZTA by 17 December 2010. The Board of Inquiry hearing took 16 days, finishing in March), with the final decision due by 20 June 2011, later amended to 30 June. A number of matters came into public focus during
13225-478: Was unable to predict a completion date for Auckland's 42 km western ring route, saying officials regarded a 2015 target of the previous Labour government as "aspirational". On 13 May 2009 NZTA announced its new preferred route for the Waterview Connection motorway as a combination of surface, bored tunnel and cut and cover tunnel. The tunnels would be constructed with provision for three lanes in each direction. A raised surface motorway through Alan Wood Park and
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