Will 2026 be the year that Auckland gets its mojo back?
Have Aucklanders fallen out of love with Auckland?
While Wellington often takes the heat for New Zealand's current sense of national stagnation, Auckland is in its own deep funk. As Erin Johnson reports in Stuff, the latest Ipsos Quality of Life Survey, released in April, found nearly a third of Aucklanders felt their quality of life had worsened over the past year – the highest among all eight surveyed cities. The most common reason, by far, was financial strain, with half of all respondents calling out the cost of housing as unaffordable. Traffic congestion, lack of parking and overflowing rubbish bins topped the list of frustrations in Aucklanders' own neighbourhoods.
Small wonder, then, that Aucklanders are voting with their feet – not just crossing the Tasman in record numbers, but moving south in search of affordability and a better lifestyle. As The Press reports (paywalled), more than 10,000 Aucklanders relocated to Christchurch between 2018 and 2023. Top reasons for making the move included less stress and the ability to buy a home and still afford to live.
A city stuck in neutral
This sense of drift is captured starkly in the brand new State of the City report, which compares Auckland with cities like Brisbane, Copenhagen and Vancouver. Writing this morning in The Spinoff, Duncan Greive says the report's downbeat vibe is unmistakable. 'Across the three reports of 2023, 2024 and 2025, the city feels stagnant and decaying,' he writes. Mark Thomas, chair of the organisation that funds and commissions the report, is more specific: 'Weak economic performance, inadequate skills and innovation development, and disjointed and delayed planning are causing Auckland to lose ground, with the risk of falling further behind.'
Auckland ranks well for resilience and diversity, but falls behind on experience, prosperity and 'place' – that is, the overall livability and coherence of the city and its suburbs. 'For all its history, cultural diversity and incredible twin-harbour location, Auckland is a city which feels stuck,' Duncan writes, summing up the report's overall theme. Amid this gloom, hopes are increasingly pinned on two long-awaited infrastructure projects: the City Rail Link (CRL) and the International Convention Centre, both now scheduled to open in 2026.
A midtown miracle?
As Garth Bray and Dileepa Fonseka recently reported in BusinessDesk (paywalled), there's growing confidence that the CRL, and particularly the new midtown Te Waihorotiu station, will be a catalyst for revitalisation. The area surrounding the station – a long-underwhelming swathe of the central city – is seeing a flurry of investment, with Auckland Council economist Gary Blick identifying 18 developments worth billions within a five-minute walk. Among them is the $450 million Symphony Centre, being built directly above the new station.
Once open, Te Waihorotiu is expected to be the country's busiest train station, serving up to 50,000 passengers an hour at peak. It's not just about transport: the surrounding streetscape is being redesigned for wider footpaths, greenery and outdoor dining – a deliberate push to reshape how people experience the city centre, Bray and Fonseka write. The long construction disruption has taken a toll, but there are now tangible signs that a new phase is beginning.
Pedestrian power wins on Project K
In another hopeful development, Auckland Transport appears to have backtracked on controversial changes to Project K, the urban realm upgrade around the CRL's Karanga-a-Hape station. As Connor Sharp reports in Greater Auckland, after a fierce public backlash, AT has returned to a plan closer to its original, people-focused vision. The updated design – due to be voted on by the Waitematā Local Board today – restores pedestrian-friendly measures on Cross Street, retains a cycleway on East Street, and revives a plan to block rat-running traffic on Upper Mercury Lane.
Councillor Richard Hills says the new plan will help reinvigorate the Karangahape Road area while making the entrance to the new station both vibrant and welcoming. 'It's not perfect, but it's a good result if everyone sees it as a compromise,' he says. In a city that too often struggles to deliver on its promises, Project K is a win for the urbanists – and a reminder that Aucklanders haven't given up on the place just yet.
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