Statistics

New Zealan

Commuting patterns in Auckland:

Trends from the Census of Population
and Dwellings 2006?13

 

New Zealand Government

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Citation
Statistics New Zealand (2014). Commuting patterns in Auckland: Trends from the Census of
Population and Dwellings 2006–13. Available from: www.stats.govt.nz.
ISBN 978-0-478-42943-5 (online)
Published in December 2014 by
Statistics New Zealand
Tatauranga Aotearoa
Wellington, New Zealand
Contact
Statistics New Zealand Information Centre: info@stats.govt.nz
Phone toll-free 0508 525 525
Phone international +64 4 931 4610
www.stats.govt.nz

 Commuting patterns in Auckland: Trends from the Census of Population and Dwellings 2006–13

Contents
List of tables and figures................................................................................................. 4
1. Purpose and key findings........................................................................................... 6
Purpose ......................................................................................................................... 6
Key findings................................................................................................................... 6
2. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 7
Auckland’s local board areas ........................................................................................ 7
The Auckland region accounts for just over a third of New Zealand’s gross domestic
product .......................................................................................................................... 8
Auckland’s population increased rapidly over the 20th century ..................................... 9
3. Working in Auckland ................................................................................................ 11
Around a third of all people in New Zealand gave a workplace address in the Auckland
region .......................................................................................................................... 11
Commuting patterns by Auckland local board area ..................................................... 13
Urban/rural commuting to Auckland local board areas ................................................ 17
Over 27,000 people worked in Auckland Central West ............................................... 20
Professional, scientific, and technical services dominate in the central city ................ 22
4. Commuting and modes of transport ....................................................................... 24
Working at home ......................................................................................................... 24
How Aucklanders travelled to work ............................................................................. 26
Main means of travel to work by workplace address at local board level .................... 26
5. Conclusion................................................................................................................. 38
References .................................................................................................................. 39
Appendix 1: About commuting data............................................................................. 40
About commuting data ................................................................................................ 40
Workplace address ..................................................................................................... 40
Main means of travel to work ...................................................................................... 41
Appendix 2: Adaptation of Ministry of Transport designation of inner and outer
boards ............................................................................................................................. 43

 Commuting patterns in Auckland: Trends from the Census of Population and Dwellings 2006–13

List of tables and figures
Tables by chapter
3. Working in Auckland ................................................................................................ 11
1. Workplace address for employed population by Auckland local board area ........... 12
2. Selected urban and rural areas of usual residence by commuting destination for
grouped local board areas in Auckland ....................................................................... 20
3. Top industry and percentage of people employed by workplace address at area unit
level, and Auckland ..................................................................................................... 23
4. Commuting and modes of transport ....................................................................... 24
4. Selected means of travel to work, by workplace address at Auckland local board
level ............................................................................................................................. 27
5. Conclusion................................................................................................................. 38
5. Correspondence of sectors for analysis with local board areas .............................. 43

Figures by chapter
2. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 7
1. Population of Auckland local board areas, 2013 Census .......................................... 8
2. Gross domestic product and gross domestic product per capita by region ............... 9
3. Population of main urban areas, selected censuses 1886 to 2013 ......................... 10
3. Working in Auckland ................................................................................................ 11
4. Number of employed people that gave a workplace address by selected region .... 11
5. Percent of employed people living and working in the same area, by Auckland local
board area ................................................................................................................... 13
6. Usual residence by commuting destination for Auckland inner urban boards ......... 14
7. Percent of employed population that gave a workplace address in Waitematā....... 15
8. Usual residence by commuting destination for Auckland outer urban boards ......... 16
9. Usual residence by commuting destination, for Auckland rural boards. Usual
residence by commuting destination for Auckland rural boards .................................. 17
10. Commuting destination (grouped Auckland local board areas), for employed
people usually resident in selected urban and rural areas in the Auckland region ...... 18
10. Commuting destination (grouped Auckland local board areas) by urban area ...... 18
11. Location of urban areas in the Auckland region .................................................... 19
12. Employment density (workplace addresses per square kilometre) for Auckland,
2013 Census ............................................................................................................... 21
13. Area units with largest number of people giving a workplace address .................. 22
4. Commuting and modes of transport ....................................................................... 24
14. Number of people who worked at home by area unit of usual residence in
Auckland region, 2013 Census ................................................................................... 25
15. Main means of travel to work for people that gave a workplace address in
Auckland and travelled to work on census day ........................................................... 26

 Commuting patterns in Auckland: Trends from the Census of Population and Dwellings 2006–13

16. Main means of travel to work, for people that gave a workplace address in
Waitematā and went to work on census day. .............................................................. 28
17. Number of people who biked, jogged, or walked to work, by area unit of usual
residence in Auckland region ...................................................................................... 29
18. Number of people who used public transport to travel to work by area unit of usual
residence in Auckland region ...................................................................................... 31
19. Percent of people who took a train to work on census day 2013 .......................... 32
20. Number of people travelling to work on census day 2013 by other modes (includes
plane, taxi, and ferry) .................................................................................................. 34
21. Number of people who drove a private car, truck, or van to work by area unit of
usual residence in Auckland region, 2013 Census ...................................................... 35
22. Number of people who drove a company car, truck, or van to work in Auckland by
workplace address, 2013 Census ............................................................................... 37
Appendix 2...................................................................................................................... 42
23. Auckland local board designation .......................................................................... 44

 1. Purpose and key findings
Purpose
Commuting patterns in Auckland: Trends from the Census of Population and Dwellings
2006–13 gives an overview of commuting patterns in the Auckland region using census
data. For more detailed analysis of transport patterns in Auckland see Journey to work
patterns in the Auckland region, commissioned by the Ministry of Transport and published
in 2014.

Key findings
 In 2013, around a third of all employed people in New Zealand (596,313 people)
gave a workplace address in the Auckland region.
 There were 2.3 times more people who gave a workplace address in Auckland
compared with New Zealand’s second largest labour market, the Canterbury region
(255,480 people gave a workplace address there).
 Waitematā local board had the highest number of people that gave a workplace
address there. In 2006 and 2013, over 100,000 people living in the Auckland region
(around 22 percent of employed people in Auckland) gave a workplace address in
the Waitematā local board area.
 Puketatapa, Waitakere Ranges and Manurewa local boards had the lowest
percentages of people living and working within the same local board area.
 In Auckland, 50 percent of employed people worked in an area that comprised of
just 2.7 percent of the total land area in Auckland.
 Auckland Central West area unit has the largest number (27,234) of employed
people.
 Auckland Central East area unit had the second-largest number (21,711) of people
who gave a workplace address there but had the highest workplace density –
23,454 employed people per square kilometre compared with 23,343 per square
kilometre for Auckland Central West.
 Car transport was the dominant mode of commuting in Auckland, although car use
has decreased slightly since 2001 – from 85.6 percent of employed people that
went to work on census day in 2001 to 82.7 percent in 2013.
 1 in 5 people that commuted to Waitematā used public transport. This proportion
increased to over 1 in 4 for workers in the central business district (CBD). The
Ministry of Transport defines the central business district (CBD) as the area units of
Auckland Central East and West, Auckland Harbourside, Newton, and Grafton
West.

6

 2. Introduction
Auckland’s local board areas
Before 2010, Auckland was made up of seven territorial authorities: North Shore,
Auckland, Waitakere and Manukau cities and Rodney, Papakura, and Franklin districts as
well as the Auckland Regional Council. On 1 November 2010, the regional council, cities,
and districts amalgamated and Auckland Council became a unitary authority.
The Auckland region is made up of 21 local board areas, from Rodney at the northern
end to Franklin at the southern end, as shown in figure 1. Data from the census has been
back-cast so that a comparable time series can be produced. Therefore, even though the
local boards have only been operational since 2010, we have included time series data
for the boards.

7

 Commuting patterns in Auckland: Trends from the Census of Population and Dwellings 2006–13

Figure 1
1. Population of Auckland local board areas, 2013 Census

Population of Auckland local board areas, 2013 Census

The Auckland region accounts for just over a third of
New Zealand’s gross domestic product
Auckland region has the only urban centre in New Zealand that consists of more than a
million people. In the Auckland region, more than 9 out of 10 people (1,308,825 people)
lived in the urban area of Auckland. Urban areas are statistically defined areas and are
designed to identify concentrated urban settlements, without the distortion of
administrative boundaries. The urban area of Auckland comprises the Northern Auckland

8

 Commuting patterns in Auckland: Trends from the Census of Population and Dwellings 2006–13

Zone, Western Auckland Zone, Central Auckland Zone and Southern Auckland Zone
(see figure 11).
In 2013, there were 1,415,550 people usually resident within the Auckland region, which
was 2.6 times the population of the next largest region, Canterbury (539,436 people).
Economically, the Auckland region is a large part of New Zealand’s economy. Regional
gross domestic product (GDP) estimates (Statistics NZ, 2013) showed that for the year
ended 2013, Auckland contributed the most to New Zealand’s GDP (35.3 percent),
followed by Wellington (13.5 percent), and Canterbury (13.2 percent). However, while
Auckland has the largest economy overall, it does not have the largest GDP per capita.
Taranaki had the highest GDP per capita ($74,341), followed by Wellington ($57,941),
and Southland ($52,701).
Figure 2
2. Gross domestic product and gross domestic product per capita by region

Auckland’s share of the country’s GDP has remained relatively constant in recent years,
although it fell slightly after the global financial crisis (from 35.9 percent of New Zealand’s
GDP in 2007 to 34.7 percent in 2009). Previously, experimental estimates of regional
GDP (Statistics New Zealand, 2006) calculated that in 2003, Auckland’s share of the
country’s GDP was 36 percent and constituted almost half (46 percent) of the North
Island’s GDP.

Auckland’s population increased rapidly over the 20th
century
At the beginning of the 20th century the main cities of Auckland, Wellington, and
Christchurch were fairly similar in population. However, throughout the 20th century and
early 21st century, the Auckland metropolis grew at a higher rate than the next largest
cities in New Zealand (Wellington and Christchurch), as figure 3 shows.

9

 Commuting patterns in Auckland: Trends from the Census of Population and Dwellings 2006–13

Figure 3
3. Population of main urban areas, selected censuses 1886 to 2013

The population in Auckland’s urban area has increased relative to the next largest urban
areas of Wellington and Christchurch. In 1991, Auckland’s urban area housed 2.9 times
the population of Christchurch’s urban area, but by 2013 it housed 3.7 times the
population of Christchurch’s urban area. The neighbouring urban areas of Hamilton and
Tauranga have also grown rapidly in recent years.
The geographic location of the Auckland urban area means that it has access to large
populations north and south. Over the 20th and 21st centuries, growth in and around the
Auckland metropolis has also been dispersed with a high dependence on private
transport leading to a “scattered and decentralised settlement pattern” (McKinnon, 1987).
In the mid-20th century, central and local government policy supported this
decentralisation in Auckland, which resulted in a vast motorway system and a steady
decline in public transport usage. Decentralisation has added costs. In a recent report
Big city life? Challenges and trade-offs for Auckland city, the NZIER (2012) noted that
better transport infrastructure would reduce costs for households. They calculated that
each kilometre away from the city centre increases the cost of each commute by $738
per year.
Recent changes as a result of local government policy and investment have improved the
public transportation system and reversed the decline in public transport usage as
chapter 4 shows. The Auckland Plan (Auckland Council, 2013) aims to promote housing
along transport routes and consolidate growth within the existing metropolitan area.

10

 3. Working in Auckland
Around a third of all people in New Zealand gave a
workplace address in the Auckland region
Because of its sheer size and economic importance the Auckland region attracts workers.
By 2013, a total of 596,313 people gave a workplace address in the Auckland region,
compared with 544,017 people in 2006. Auckland has the largest labour market within
New Zealand and is 2.3 times larger than New Zealand’s second-largest labour market,
the Canterbury region (255,480 employed people).
Auckland also attracts workers from surrounding areas, with 4,827 people from Waikato
district and 1,530 people from Hamilton city giving a workplace address within the
Auckland region. There are also people in other areas further afield, such as Dunedin
(699 people), Kaipara (561 people) and Whangarei (516 people) that gave a workplace
address in Auckland. However, we do not know whether these are people who share
their time between two places (for example, people living and working in Auckland during
the week) or whether the numbers have been inflated by incorrect workplace coding to a
head office in Auckland. This situation can occur when a respondent does not supply
sufficient information for their workplace to be coded correctly.
The number of employed people that gave a workplace address in Auckland increased
markedly in the 2000s compared with the 1990s. Between 1996 and 2001 the number of
employed people that gave a workplace in Auckland increased by 5.5 percent. This was
also a period of slow population growth. In contrast, between 2001 and 2006 the number
of employed people that gave a workplace address in the Auckland region increased by
16.1 percent. Growth was again slower in the seven years between 2006 and 2013, at
9.6 percent, but was faster than population growth. In contrast, between 2006 and 2013
the population of Auckland rose by 8.5 percent. Figure 4 shows the change in the number
of people giving a workplace address in Auckland and other selected regions between
1996 and 2013.
Figure 4
4. Number of employed people that gave a workplace address by selected region

11

 Commuting patterns in Auckland: Trends from the Census of Population and Dwellings 2006–13

Waitematā local board has highest number of workers in Auckland
In 2006 and 2013, over 100,000 people living in Auckland (around 22 percent of
employed people in Auckland) gave a workplace address in Waitematā local board area.
This figure excludes people whose address could not be coded to a small area level.
Table 1
1. Workplace address for employed population by Auckland local board area

Workplace address for employed population
usually resident in the Auckland region
By Auckland local board area(1)
2006–13 Censuses
Auckland local board area

Employed population
that gave a workplace
address(1)
2006

2013

Increase or decrease
2006–13 Censuses
Number

Percent

Rodney

13,467

15,972

2,505

18.6

Hibiscus and Bays

16,353

18,423

2,070

12.7

Upper Harbour

24,600

32,643

8,043

32.7

Kaipātiki

23,037

22,890

-147

-0.6

Devonport-Takapuna

22,311

25,173

2,862

12.8

Henderson-Massey

23,718

25,224

1,506

6.3

Waitākere Ranges

5,715

6,681

966

16.9

243

297

54

22.2

Great Barrier

2,145

2,589

444

20.7

107,259

119,892

12,633

11.8

Whau

19,029

18,384

-645

-3.4

Albert-Eden

31,347

33,042

1,695

5.4

Waiheke
Waitematā

Puketāpapa

8,598

8,865

267

3.1

Orākei

16,986

17,808

822

4.8

Maungakiekie-Tāmaki

51,984

53,208

1,224

2.4

Howick

32,151

35,646

3,495

10.9

Māngere-Ōtāhuhu

24,615

26,781

2,166

8.8

Ōtara-Papatoetoe

23,325

24,789

1,464

6.3

Manurewa

13,569

14,784

1,215

9

Papakura

10,770

10,761

-9

-0.1

Franklin

15,006

16,455

1,449

9.7

486,234

530,301

44,067

10.7

Total stated for Auckland local
boards(1)

1. Includes all addresses that could be coded to meshblock level.
Note: Auckland local board areas did not exist in 2006. The census data has been backcast to allow comparisons over time.
This data has been randomly rounded to protect confidentiality. Individual figures
may not add up to totals, and values for the same data may vary in different tables.
Source: Statistics New Zealand

12

 Commuting patterns in Auckland: Trends from the Census of Population and Dwellings 2006–13

Commuting patterns by Auckland local board area
This section looks at commuting patterns by Auckland local board area.

Puketāpapa and Waitakere Ranges had the lowest proportion of
people that lived and worked in the same area
Figure 5 shows the proportion of people that lived and worked in the same local board
area (referred to as self-containment). Great Barrier and Waiheke Island had the highest
proportion of employed people that lived and worked in the same area.
Figure 5
5. Percent of employed people living and working in the same area, by Auckland local board area

The graphs and tables in this section show commuting between local board areas.
Because of the sheer number of local boards, we have adapted the Ministry of Transport
(Richard Paling Consulting, 2014) designation of local boards as inner urban, outer
urban, and rural to visualise commuting between areas. In the following graphs we have
included Waitematā separately for this analysis but have looked at their designation of
the CBD separately when we consider the distribution of workplace address by area unit.
Note that the Ministry of Transport has grouped Rodney, Waitākere Ranges and Franklin
local boards as rural because they sit outside the Auckland metropolis. They excluded
Waiheke and Great Barrier Islands. See Appendix 2.

Commuting by inner urban boards
Figure 6 shows commuting patterns by the inner urban boards. Here we see that most
people in these areas live and work in inner urban boards. People tend to be
concentrated within certain geographic locations – for example, over half of people in

13

 Commuting patterns in Auckland: Trends from the Census of Population and Dwellings 2006–13

Kaipātiki work in inner urban boards north of the harbour bridge, while around half of
employed people in Maungakiekie-Tāmaki worked in the southern part of the city.
Figure 6
6. Usual residence by commuting destination for Auckland inner urban boards

As previously stated, Waitematā was the largest employment centre in Auckland. People
also travelled greater distances to work in Waitematā, which attracted workers from all
round the Auckland region and outside the region as well. Just over 300 people in
Hamilton city and Waikato district had a workplace address in Waitematā. Figure 7 shows
the percentage of employed people in each local board that gave a workplace address in
Waitematā. Note that these percentages only include those workplace addresses that
could be coded to a small area level.

14

 Commuting patterns in Auckland: Trends from the Census of Population and Dwellings 2006–13

Figure 7
7. Percent of employed population that gave a workplace address in Waitematā

Around two-thirds of people that lived in Waitematā also worked there, a level of selfcontainment that was only surpassed by Great Barrier and Waiheke Island local boards.
Around 4 out of 10 people that specified a workplace address in Auckland worked in the
central locations of Waitematā, Albert-Eden, or Maungakiekie-Tāmaki.

Commuting patterns for outer urban boards
Figure 8 shows again the split between north and south for people commuting within and
between local board areas. Few people commuted from northern outer urban areas to
southern outer urban areas and vice versa. Around two-thirds of employed people in
Howick, for example, gave a workplace address in either Howick or surrounding urban
boards.

15

 Commuting patterns in Auckland: Trends from the Census of Population and Dwellings 2006–13

Figure 8
8. Usual residence by commuting destination for Auckland outer urban boards

Commuting patterns for rural local board areas in Auckland
Figure 9 looks at commuting for the three rural local board areas, Rodney to the north,
Waitākere Ranges (west), and Franklin (the southernmost area). Not surprisingly, the
north/south split is very evident here with very few people in Rodney working in outer
urban areas in the south and west. Franklin and Rodney have reasonably high
proportions of self-containment with around half working in their own areas (here shown
as the rural category).

16

 Commuting patterns in Auckland: Trends from the Census of Population and Dwellings 2006–13

Figure 9
9. Usual residence by commuting destination, for Auckland rural boards. Usual residence by commuting destination for Auckland rural boards

Urban/rural commuting to Auckland local board areas
This section looks at numbers of people commuting by selected urban areas, and rural
areas, to local boards within Auckland. Note that figures for rural areas include small
numbers of people living in rural areas outside the Auckland region.
Almost two-thirds of all commuting destinations within Auckland urban areas were to
inner urban boards (here we are including Waitematā). This figure also includes people
working from home. Some small changes occurred in the distribution of workplace
addresses between 2006 and 2013 – although some caution must be used as changes in
data over this time period may be partly due to changes in collection and processing of
data. Within the Auckland urban area, the proportion of people giving a workplace
address in an inner urban board (including Waitematā) fell slightly (from 60.9 to 59.5
percent of all workplace addresses).The number of workplace addresses in rural boards
increased over this time but remained a fairly small proportion of the total.
Figure 10 shows the distribution of workplace address for urban and rural areas within
Auckland region.

17

 Commuting patterns in Auckland: Trends from the Census of Population and Dwellings 2006–13

Figure 10
10. Commuting destination (grouped Auckland local board areas), for employed people usually resident in selected urban and rural areas in the Auckland region

10. Commuting destination (grouped Auckland local board areas) by urban area

Figure 11 shows the location of the Auckland zones and smaller urban centres in the
Auckland region.

18

 Commuting patterns in Auckland: Trends from the Census of Population and Dwellings 2006–13

Figure 11
11. Location of urban areas in the Auckland region

Location of urban areas in the Auckland region, 2013

Numbers commuting to Auckland urban boards have increased between 2006 and 2013.
In Pukekohe and Hamilton urban areas over 1,000 more people gave a workplace
address in an Auckland urban board (including inner and outer urban boards) in 2013
compared with 2006.

19

 Commuting patterns in Auckland: Trends from the Census of Population and Dwellings 2006–13

Table 2
2. Selected urban and rural areas of usual residence by commuting destination for grouped local board areas in Auckland

Selected urban and rural areas of usual residence
By commuting destination for grouped local board areas in Auckland
2013 Census
Commuting destination (workplace address by grouped local board area2) in Auckland region
Selected urban and
rural areas of usual
residence

Waiheke or
Great Barrier
Islands

Inner urban
boards3

Outer Urban
boards

Rural boards

Total

2006

2013

2006

2013

2006

2013

2006

2013

2006

2013

Northern Auckland

60

111

65,019

68,034

35,724

42,420

1,839

2,766

102,642

113,328

Western Auckland

24

30

36,759

38,736

25,608

28,332

6,945

7,923

69,333

75,021

Central Auckland

72

147

133,260

141,786

23,544

28,023

1,611

2,367

158,487

172,323

Southern Auckland

27

57

39,234

43,017

76,710

81,135

3,798

4,884

119,772

129,090

Total Auckland
urban area

183

342

274,272

291,573

161,586

179,907

14,196

17,937

450,237

489,762

Total Hamilton
urban area1

..C

..C

501

1,083

267

714

63

192

831

1,995

Pukekohe

..C

..C

915

1,323

1,620

2,253

4,374

4,833

6,909

8,412

Wellsford

..C

..C

12

33

18

48

450

366

483

444

Warkworth

..C

..C

72

132

105

186

876

975

1,059

1,296

Snells Beach

..C

..C

96

147

117

162

1,059

1,116

1,275

1,425

Helensville

..C

..C

174

210

174

192

486

450

834

852

1,953

2,238

693

813

78

99

18

27

2,742

3,177

..C

..C

288

372

579

687

1,650

1,707

2,514

2,769

255

324

5,169

6,363

6,303

7,473

12,963

13,800

24,687

27,960

6

..C

84

75

27

36

..C

9

120

123

Waiheke Island
Waiuku
Rural areas
Inland water and
oceanic

1. Includes Hamilton, Cambridge, and Te Awamutu urban zones.
2. All workplace address that could be coded to meshblock level.
3. In this table we are including Waitematā in the inner urban boards.
Note: This data has been randomly rounded to protect confidentiality. Individual figures
may not add up to totals, and values for the same data may vary in different tables.
Symbols:
C confidential
.. not available
Source: Statistics New Zealand

Over 27,000 people worked in Auckland Central West
Not all workplace addresses had enough information to be coded to area unit level in
Auckland. Note that the numbers and proportions in the following section are calculated
from the total stated workplace addresses that could be coded at area unit level. In total,
567,822 workplace addresses were coded to an area unit in Auckland.
The numbers show us that employment is concentrated within the urban centre, but to a
lesser extent than in the Wellington region. In Auckland, 50 percent of employed people
worked in an area that comprised of just 2.7 percent of the total land area in Auckland. In
contrast, 50 percent of employed people in the Wellington region worked in just 0.3
percent of the land area in the region.

20

 Commuting patterns in Auckland: Trends from the Census of Population and Dwellings 2006–13

Figure 12
12. Employment density (workplace addresses per square kilometre) for Auckland, 2013 Census

Employment density (workplace addresses per square kilometre) for Auckland
2013 Census

Figure 12 shows employment density by area unit in Auckland. Auckland Central West
(area unit) has the largest number (27,234) of people giving a workplace address there.
Auckland Central East (area unit) had the second-largest number (21,711) of workplace
addresses but a higher workplace density of 23,454 employed people per square
21

 Commuting patterns in Auckland: Trends from the Census of Population and Dwellings 2006–13

kilometre compared with 23,343 per square kilometre for Auckland Central West. The
Ministry of Transport defines the central business district (CBD) as the area units of
Auckland Central East and West, Auckland Harbourside, Newton, and Grafton West. In
total, 75,483 people had a workplace address coded to these area units.
Figure 13 shows the area units with the largest number of workplace addresses and how
numbers have changed over time. Auckland Harbourside shows the most dramatic
change in numbers since 2001.
Figure 13
13. Area units with largest number of people giving a workplace address

Professional, scientific, and technical services
dominate in the central city
The most common industries for area units in the central business district were
professional, scientific, and technical services (18,447 people) followed by financial and
insurance services (13,161 people). In the largest employment centres to the south of the
city, wholesale trade and manufacturing predominated. Table 3 shows the top industries
of the area units with the largest employed populations.

22

 Commuting patterns in Auckland: Trends from the Census of Population and Dwellings 2006–13

Table 3
3. Top industry and percentage of people employed by workplace address at area unit level, and Auckland

Top industry and percentage of people employed
By workplace address at area unit level, and Auckland
2013 Census

Area unit

Mt Wellington South

Top industry

Wholesale trade

North Harbour East
Mangere South

Percent of people
who worked in that
industry by their
workplace address

26.4
23.1

Transport, postal, and
warehousing

45.9

Auckland Central West

21.4

Auckland Central East

23.5

Auckland Harbourside

Professional, scientific,
and technical services

27.9

Newmarket

24.3

Parnell West

34.4

Ellerslie South

22.8

Highbrook
Manukau Central

41.2
Manufacturing

Penrose
Westlake

22.0
21.6

Health care and social
assistance

Source: Statistics New Zealand

23

38.1

 4. Commuting and modes of transport
This chapter looks at how people got to work on census day. The data comes from the
question about the respondent’s main means of travel to work. Main means of travel to
work is the method a person aged 15 years and over used to travel the longest distance
to their place of employment on census day (for example, by bicycle, bus, walking, or
jogging).
As this data relates to the main means of travel on census day, it does not necessarily
indicate a person's usual mode of travel to work and it does not indicate the main means
of travel to work for people who did not go to work on census day.

Working at home
Not all employed people are commuters. Around 10 percent of employed people in the
Auckland region worked at home on census day. This proportion was much higher for
people working in agriculture, forestry, or fishing (41.1 percent), rental, hiring, and real
estate services (20.3 percent) and professional, scientific, and technical services (17.9
percent). Figure 14 maps the distribution of working at home by area unit and shows that
working at home was more common on Great Barrier Island, and in Highbrook and
Clevedon.

24

 Commuting patterns in Auckland: Trends from the Census of Population and Dwellings 2006–13

Figure 14
14. Number of people who worked at home by area unit of usual residence in Auckland region, 2013 Census

Number of people who worked at home by area unit of usual residence in Auckland
region, 2013 Census

25

 Commuting patterns in Auckland: Trends from the Census of Population and Dwellings 2006–13

How Aucklanders travelled to work
This section looks at commuting patterns for those people who travelled to work on
census day – the numbers and percentages here exclude people who worked at home or
did not go to work on census day 2013.
Car transport was the dominant mode of commuting in Auckland, although car use has
decreased slightly since 2001 – from 85.6 percent of employed people that went to work
on census day in 2001 to 82.7 percent in 2013. This percentage includes people who
drove a private or company car, or who were passengers in a car.
Figure 15 shows that the main means of travel to work has been relatively stable since
1996, although there have been increases in public transport use and active modes such
as walking, jogging and cycling.
Figure 15
15. Main means of travel to work for people that gave a workplace address in Auckland and travelled to work on census day

Main means of travel to work by workplace address at
local board level
Table 4 shows the main means of travel to work by workplace address at local board
level. Note that percentages have been calculated out of the total people who travelled to
work on census day in 2013.
Active modes of transport were more common in central Auckland and on the outlying
islands. One in 4 people that worked on Great Barrier Island either biked, walked, or
jogged to work.

26

 Commuting patterns in Auckland: Trends from the Census of Population and Dwellings 2006–13

Table 4
4. Selected means of travel to work, by workplace address at Auckland local board level

Selected main means of travel to work
By workplace address at Auckland local board level
2013 Census
Workplace address for
Auckland local board
areas
Rodney

Total car
Number

Total bus and train

Percent

Number

Percent

Total active(1)
Number

Other(2)

Percent

Number

Percent

9,279

88.0

303

2.9

678

6.4

129

1.2

Hibiscus and Bays

11,547

89.5

414

3.2

756

5.9

93

0.7

Upper Harbour

25,008

90.8

1,059

3.8

1,026

3.7

213

0.8

Kaipātiki

16,026

87.6

954

5.2

1,005

5.5

147

0.8

Devonport-Takapuna

16,377

81.6

1,413

7.0

1,695

8.5

339

1.7

Henderson-Massey

18,288

89.4

774

3.8

1,110

5.4

132

0.6

Waitākere Ranges

3,762

89.5

135

3.2

243

5.8

30

0.7

114

65.5

6

3.4

42

24.1

9

5.2

Great Barrier
Waiheke

1,176

72.7

72

4.5

216

13.4

117

7.2

Waitematā

66,654

62.6

22,677

21.3

11,907

11.2

3,384

3.2

Whau

13,614

88.8

726

4.7

750

4.9

108

0.7

Albert-Eden

22,101

83.3

1,848

7.0

2,043

7.7

282

1.1

Puketāpapa

5,928

86.1

375

5.4

453

6.6

72

1.0

Orākei

10,731

86.1

720

5.8

777

6.2

126

1.0

Maungakiekie-Tāmaki

43,398

90.2

2,319

4.8

1,581

3.3

393

0.8

Howick

27,123

92.9

657

2.2

1,014

3.5

222

0.8

Māngere-Ōtāhuhu

21,606

91.9

780

3.3

702

3.0

231

1.0

Ōtara-Papatoetoe

19,791

91.0

921

4.2

753

3.5

171

0.8

Manurewa

11,841

92.4

324

2.5

474

3.7

102

0.8

Papakura

8,382

90.8

246

2.7

477

5.2

75

0.8

11,511

89.8

255

2.0

789

6.2

111

0.9

364,257

82.6

36,978

8.4

28,491

6.5

6,486

1.5

Franklin
Total stated for Auckland
local board areas(3)

1. Total people biking, walking, and jogging.
2. The 'other' category includes taxi, ferry, helicopter, and aeroplane.
3. Includes all addresses that could be coded to meshblock level.
Note: All cells have been randomly rounded to base 3

Source: Statistics New Zealand

1 in 5 people that commuted to Waitematā used public transport
People who commuted to work in the Waitematā local board area had lower rates of car
travel. Waitematā also had a higher proportion of people using active modes of transport
(walking or jogging and cycling) and public transport use. Just over 1 in 5 people who
worked in Waitematā used public transport on census day, while just over 1 in 10 walked,
jogged, or cycled. Figure 16 shows modes of transport for people that gave a workplace
address in Waitematā, compared with percentages for total Auckland local boards.

27

 Commuting patterns in Auckland: Trends from the Census of Population and Dwellings 2006–13

Figure 16
16. Main means of travel to work, for people that gave a workplace address in Waitematā and went to work on census day.

Unlike Wellington, there were some workplace areas away from the city centre where
high proportions of people commuted by bicycle. Whenuapai West had the highest
proportion of people biking to work (8.0 percent of people that travelled to work on census
day 2013).
Public transport use was highest for those working in the CBD, with 18,279 people that
worked there taking either a bus or train to work on census day, while a further 7,092
walked or jogged.
The following maps show the mode of transport for travel to work by area unit of usual
residence. The focus here is on numbers, rather than proportions, to give an idea of the
actual numbers of people using different modes of travel on census day. As we can see
active modes (walking or jogging and cycling) predominate for people living and working
in the central city.
Figure 17 shows the high proportion of people in central Auckland that used the active
modes (biking, walking or jogging) to get to work.

28

 Commuting patterns in Auckland: Trends from the Census of Population and Dwellings 2006–13

Figure 17
17. Number of people who biked, jogged, or walked to work, by area unit of usual residence in Auckland region

Number of people who biked, jogged, or walked to work by area unit of usual
residence in Auckland region, 2013 Census

29

 Commuting patterns in Auckland: Trends from the Census of Population and Dwellings 2006–13

Figure 18 shows the number of people taking public transport to work on census day in
2013. While public transport is more dispersed throughout the city, again we see a
concentration of use in the central city.

30

 Commuting patterns in Auckland: Trends from the Census of Population and Dwellings 2006–13

Figure 18
18. Number of people who used public transport to travel to work by area unit of usual residence in Auckland region

Number of people who used public transport to travel to work by area unit of usual
residence in Auckland region, 2013 Census

31

 Commuting patterns in Auckland: Trends from the Census of Population and Dwellings 2006–13

Figure 19 focuses on train journeys and shows the percentage of people who took a train
to work on census day. Note that train journey use is more concentrated for people in
area units close to or adjacent with the train lines.
Figure 19
19. Percent of people who took a train to work on census day 2013

Percent of people who took a train to work on census day 2013

32

 Commuting patterns in Auckland: Trends from the Census of Population and Dwellings 2006–13

Figure 20 looks at the percentage of people who used an ‘other’ mode of transport to get
to work on census day 2013. This category includes including taxi, ferry, helicopter, and
aeroplane. However, In some areas such as Waiheke Island, a considerable proportion of
the other category is likely to be people travelling by ferry. Figure 20 shows the number of
people using an ‘other mode to get to work on census day.

33

 Commuting patterns in Auckland: Trends from the Census of Population and Dwellings 2006–13

Figure 20
20. Number of people travelling to work on census day 2013 by other modes (includes plane, taxi, and ferry)

Number of people travelling to work on census day 2013 by other modes (includes
plane, taxi and ferry)

Figure 21 maps out private car usage. As we would expect, this is more dispersed across
the city, but tends to be higher on the outskirts of the central city and urban areas.

34

 Commuting patterns in Auckland: Trends from the Census of Population and Dwellings 2006–13

Figure 21
21. Number of people who drove a private car, truck, or van to work by area unit of usual residence in Auckland region, 2013 Census

Number of people who drove a private car, truck, or van to work by area unit of
usual residence in Auckland region, 2013 Census

35

 Commuting patterns in Auckland: Trends from the Census of Population and Dwellings 2006–13

Company car usage is more concentrated in certain areas with the highest concentration
to the south of the central city. Figure 22 shows company car usage by workplace
address so we can see the employment areas where company car use is concentrated.
In Auckland, company car usage was highest among people working in construction
(15,732 people), wholesale trade (9,885 people), and professional, scientific, and
technical services (5,424 people).

36

 Commuting patterns in Auckland: Trends from the Census of Population and Dwellings 2006–13

Figure 22
22. Number of people who drove a company car, truck, or van to work in Auckland by workplace address, 2013 Census

Number of people who drove a company car, truck, or van to work in Auckland by
workplace address, 2013 Census

37

 5. Conclusion
Auckland continues to dominate employment within New Zealand. In 2013, around a third
of all employed people gave a workplace address in the Auckland region. Although the
central city accounted for the greatest concentration of workers, Auckland has a more
dispersed employment pattern than urban centres in the Wellington region.
Car use continues to predominate in Auckland, although public transport use has
increased since 2001. However, the location of the workplace has a real impact on
commuting patterns with more people working in the city centre choosing public transport
as a mode of travel. More than 1 in 4 people that worked in the CBD took public
transport, compared with just under 1 in 12 people for the whole Auckland region. Train
usage tends to be more concentrated in area units close to or adjacent with train lines.

38

 References
Auckland Council (2013). Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan. Available from:
www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
McKinnon M (1987). Cities and cars: The expansion of Auckland, 1940s to 1950s. New
Zealand Historical Atlas Ko Papatuanuku e Takato Nei, David Bateman in association
with Historical Branch, Department of Internal Affairs, Auckland.
NZIER (2012). Big city life? Challenges and trade-offs for Auckland city. NZIER public
discussion paper. Working paper 2014/02.
Richard Paling Consulting (2014). Journey to Work Patterns in the Auckland Region,
Analysis of Census Data for 2001–2013 Main Report. Ministry of Transport.
Statistics New Zealand (2013). Regional Gross Domestic Product: Year ended March
2013. Available from www.stats.govt.nz.
Statistics New Zealand (2006). Research report on Regional Gross Domestic Product.
Available from www.stats.govt.nz.
Statistics New Zealand (2008). Commuting patterns in Auckland. Available from
www.stats.govt.nz.

39

 Appendix 1: About commuting data
About commuting data
The information in this report comes from usual residence, workplace address, and main
means of travel to work information in the census.
See 2013 Census Information by variable for more detailed information.

Usual residence
Usual residence is the address of the dwelling where a person considers themselves to
usually reside.
It is recommended that these guidelines be followed in cases where usual residence is
not self-defined.
 Dependent children, who board elsewhere to attend primary or secondary school,
and return to the home of their parent(s) or guardian(s) for the holidays, usually
reside at the address of their parent(s) or guardian(s).
 Tertiary students usually reside at the address where they live while studying. If
they give up their usual residence in the holidays (e.g. terminate the lease on a flat
or give up their hostel room) and return to the home of their parent(s)/guardian(s)
during the holidays, their usual residence over that period would be the home of
their parent(s)/guardian(s).
 Children in shared care usually reside at the place where they spend more nights,
or if they spend equal amounts of time at each residence, they usually reside at the
place where they were on census night.
 People who are in rest homes, hospitals, prisons, or other institutions usually reside
where they consider themselves to live; this may include the institution.
 A person whose home is on any boat, ship, or vessel permanently located in any
harbour shall be deemed to usually reside at the wharf or landing place (or main
wharf or landing place) of the harbour.
 A person from another country who has lived the 12 months before 5 March 2013
in New Zealand, or has the intention of living in New Zealand for 12 months or
more, usually resides at his or her address in New Zealand (as in external
migration).
 People who spend equal amounts of time residing at different addresses, and
cannot decide which address is their usual residence, usually reside at the address
they were at on census night.
 If none of the above guidelines apply, the person usually resides at the address
where they were on census night.
Usual residence is self-defined.

Workplace address
Workplace address is the physical location of a workplace; distinguishing details can
include the building name; street number, name and type; suburb or rural locality; and
city, town, or district.
The census data on workplace address relates to the workplace address for the main job
held by an individual. This is the job in which a person worked the most hours.

40

 Commuting patterns in Auckland: Trends from the Census of Population and Dwellings 2006–13

The data comes from Question 39 on the census individual form.
Respondents such as milk vendors and sales representatives who have no fixed
workplace are asked to state the address of the depot, headquarters, or reporting point
from which they operate.
Respondents who have no fixed workplace address at all are asked to respond that they
have ‘no fixed workplace address’.
The variable workplace address does not have a non-response category
Respondents who were employed but did not state a workplace address were classified
as 'New Zealand not further defined'. Respondents who stated a workplace address that
could not be coded were also classified as 'New Zealand not further defined'.
In 2013, 8.5 percent of responses were coded to the 'New Zealand not further defined'
category. Respondents who state that they work across multiple areas (e.g. builders) are
coded to 'No fixed address'. 0.4 percent of responses were coded to this category in
2013.
Most of the problems with workplace address stemmed from coding issues. Sometimes
these were caused by respondents supplying insufficient detail to workplace addresses to
be coded. Where possible workplace addresses were coded using Statistics NZ's
Business Frame.
The issue with regional offices being coded to head offices was resolved for the majority
of cases (as these occurred in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch) but there may be
some cases when an apparent long-distance commute between other regional centres
may be due to miscoding. This situation would have occurred in previous censuses.
This data is broadly comparable with data from the 2006 and 2001 Censuses. Changes
in the data over this time period may be partly due to changes in the collection, definition,
or classification of the data rather than to real change.
The Business Frame match rate for workplace address has increased from 60.2 percent
in 2006 to 64.6 percent in 2013. This will improve the quality of both workplace address
and industry/sector coding relative to 2006.
An issue occurred in 2006 where usable responses were coded to 'New Zealand not
further defined' instead of the correct meshblock, leading to a higher ‘New Zealand not
further defined’ count. This has affected the comparability of the data over time. In 2001,
12.5 percent of the subject population was coded to 'New Zealand not further defined',
compared with 14.5 percent in 2006. Due to better coding in 2013 only 8.5 percent of
responses were coded to 'New Zealand not further defined' in 2013.

Main means of travel to work
Main means of travel to work is the method a person aged 15 years and over used to
travel the longest distance to their place of employment on census day (for example, by
bicycle, bus, walking, or jogging).
As this data relates to the main means of travel on census day, it does not necessarily
indicate a person's usual mode of travel to work and it does not indicate the main means
of travel to work for people who did not go to work on census day. In 2013, 10.8 percent
of those who answered the question indicated that they did not go to work on census day,
compared with 10.8 percent in 2006 and 11.7 percent in 2001.
Data is for New Zealand resident adults employed full or part time. Note that
inconsistencies can occur when comparing 'Worked at home' counts from travel to work

41

 Commuting patterns in Auckland: Trends from the Census of Population and Dwellings 2006–13

variable with 'Work at home' for workplace address indicator variable, due to differences
in the reference period.

Comparing this data with previous census data
This data is fully comparable with the 2006 Census data. Changes in the data over this
time period can be interpreted as real changes because there have been no changes in
the way the data has been collected, defined, and classified.
This data is highly comparable with the 2001 Census data. Changes in the data over this
time period can generally be interpreted as real changes. There may be a small
component of change over time that is due to minor changes in the collection, definition,
or classification of the data.
Since 2001 there has been a minor change in the question and a change in the treatment
of multiple responses.
In 2001 the motorbike category was worded 'Motorbike or power cycle', but for 2006 and
2013 this category was just 'Motorbike', and power cycles were not mentioned. In 2001
the first box marked was coded when a multiple response was given, whereas in 2006
and 2013 true multiple responses were coded to 'Response unidentifiable'. These
changes have had little effect on the data because power cycles are a rare form of
transport and the number of multiple responses to this question is very low.
See the 2013 Census dwelling and individual forms.

42

 Appendix 2: Adaptation of Ministry of Transport
designation of inner and outer boards
Table 5
5. Correspondence of sectors for analysis with local board areas

Correspondence of sectors for analysis with local board areas
Sector
Waitematā

Local boards
Waitematā

Inner Urban

Devonport-Takapuna
Kaipatiki
Whau
Albert-Eden
Orakei
Maungakiekie-Tamaki
Puketapapa

Outer Urban

Hibiscus and Bays
Upper Harbour
Henderson-Massey
Papakura
Howick
Mangere-Otahuhu
Otara-Papatoetoe
Manurewa

Rural

Rodney
Waitakere Ranges
Franklin

Source: Richard Paling Consulting, 2014

43

 Commuting patterns in Auckland: Trends from the Census of Population and Dwellings 2006–13

Figure 23
23. Auckland local board designation

44