Infrastructure and transport. A new report into how New Zealand’s largest city can improve its economic performance says Auckland needs consistent infrastructure investment and to reduce its transport deficit if it wants to grow, and attract talent.
State of the City, the first of three benchmarking reports comparing Auckland to international peer cities, was released on Tuesday morning by the Committee for Auckland, Deloitte and Tātaki Auckland Unlimited (TAU).
The Committee for Auckland is an independent organisation that is “all about building connection, behaviour and initiatives to a better Auckland for All”.
The report found there needed to be a greater focus on the conditions for attracting businesses, investment and talent into Auckland’s “innovation economy”, and Auckland needed strong outreach and visibility in international markets to support its high-value industries.
The report compared Auckland against peer cities in Australia, Asia and the Middle East, Europe and North America including Brisbane, Copenhagen and Vancouver.
It found Auckland outperformed its peers when it came to lifestyle and “highly-regarded” natural environment, but needed to raise its game in infrastructure planning, attracting investment and talent to boost productivity and innovation, and addressing safety and housing affordability.
Committee for Auckland director Mark Thomas said among its peers Auckland had pressing knowledge, skills and innovation deficits.
“The region is not providing the skills needed to match the growing demands in technology-led sectors. Also, a range of innovation enablers need attention including access to incubators, university pipelines, seed and early state funding.”
He said Auckland played a significant role in Aotearoa New Zealand’s economic growth, international profile, and in responding to national challenges such as the impact of climate change.
“The report tells us Auckland needs to do more to be resilient, decarbonise at pace, adapt to new working patterns, address inequalities, and compete for talent, visitors and investment”.
Pam Ford, Tātaki Auckland Unlimited Director of Investment and Industry, said for Auckland to improve its global performance “we need to focus on the conditions for attracting more businesses, investment and talent into Auckland’s innovation economy”.
“There’s a need for supportive national policies and local economic development interventions to ensure Auckland doesn’t miss out on international talent, investment, trade, innovations, visitors, events, and the positive economic and social outcomes these bring – to our region and the country.”
She said Auckland had a strong foundation in high-value technology sectors such as foodtech, cleantech and aerospace.
"To support their momentum, the opportunity for Auckland is to focus on strong outreach, visibility and relationships in international markets, as well as efficient local infrastructure, planning, and setup costs.”
On August 1, the Government-appointed Startup Advisors Council released a report into improving support for startups.
The report, Upstart Nation, found New Zealand needed to double the number of start-ups and recommended tax breaks and increasing Government investment in venture funding by $500 million.
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