19 August 2015

Auckland on track in liveability stakes

Mayor Len Brown is hailing the latest lift in Auckland’s liveability ratings as an indication we are on the right track, but also a reminder there is lots more to be done.

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) rates Auckland as the world’s ninth most liveable city, up one place on last year.

Auckland was praised by the report authors for its high standard of education and for stability, but the city was marked down for the quality of its infrastructure including transport and the quality of health care.

“Aucklanders told me their number one priority is to fix transport and they are proving they see reliable fast public transport as the answer but we can’t wait any longer to build the CRL,” says the Mayor.

“With the completion of the roll out of our new electric train fleet, Britomart train station is running dangerously close to capacity so the CRL is now needed urgently.”

In the past year, rail patronage was up 22 per cent. That's two and a half million more passengers than in June last year.

“We will meet the Government's target for funding the City Rail Link three years ahead of schedule.”

Auckland is ahead of European cities such as Helsinki and Zurich in the EIU ratings, but lags behind Australian cities including Adelaide, Perth and Sydney, and Canadian cities like Calgary, Toronto and Vancouver. Melbourne continues to rate as the world’s most liveable city.

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