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Moving to Auckland

Auckland or Tāmaki Makaurau (in Māori) is New Zealand’s largest city and commercial hub.

Auckland is situated between two harbours and is often referred to as the “City of Sails” due to the abundance of watersports and access to beaches and the sea.

Because of its unique geographic position living here means you can enjoy the benefits of a large city with a wide variety of cafés, restaurants and bars, excellent theatres, galleries and museums and shopping and still be close to stunning natural landscapes, beautiful beaches and nature walks.

The population sits around 1.5 million (just under a third of New Zealand’s population) offering warm, humid summers and mild, damp winters. Auckland is also the largest Polynesian city in the world and the most multi-cultural, with over 180 different ethnic groups. All of which adds up to one big, bustling, cosmopolitan and vibrant place.  

Practical tips for setting up home in Auckland

Housing – for rental and / or purchasing of property: trademe or realestate.co.nz are New Zealand’s more prominent websites to aid this search

Education – New Zealand Now is a government website, with a wealth of information on all things moving to Auckland including, early childhood education, primary and secondary schooling.

Healthcare and information on private cover – New Zealand Now offers a vast array of information from GPs, to local hospitals, dentists and private health care and insurances.

Money, taxes and the cost of living – What it costs to live in New Zealand may be different to your home country. There’s some fantastic information and a calculator to help give you a better understanding of what your income and expenses may be

Getting around - Auckland airport is 45 minutes from the CBD. Getting around is possible on public transport and ongoing road, ferry and train infrastructure projects continue to improve this. There are cycleways along some of the main motorways from the suburbs to the city. With nearly one third of New Zealand living here, Auckland is big and sprawling and this does mean that public transport is not conveniently located for all suburbs. For many, it is a city that requires a car to get around. The Auckland Transport website can give you further information about navigating our city.