A guide to living in Auckland
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Haere mai / Welcome
Welcome to Auckland - First City of the Pacific and New Zealand's largest and
liveliest city.
Here you will find useful information to help you settle into life in
Auckland.
Use the links at the top to find a translation of the guide.
To view PDFs download Acrobat Reader
from the Adobe
website.
Further help on how to view PDFs.
Welcome to Auckland city
Auckland city communities
- Community centres and halls
- Community groups
- Community advisors
- Funding support
Auckland arts, events and recreation
Auckland City Libraries
- How to join
- Computer access
Caring for your property
- Auckland city property information
- Rubbish collections
- Caring for the neighbourhood
- Civil emergencies
Your home
- Altering your home
- Trees and gardens
- Permeability
- Pets
Your council
- Central government
- Auckland Regional Council
- Auckland City Council
- Council elections
- Having your say
- Rates
Transport
- Public transport
- Land Transport Safety Authority
- Driving a car in New Zealand
Directories
- Accident and emergency
- Telephone directories
Auckland City Council
- Auckland City Council services
- Auckland City Council offices
Business help
Children
Community groups
Ethnic communities
Government services
- Health
- Housing
- Jobs and work
- New Zealand Immigration Service (Department of Labour)
- Work and Income
- Language
- Police
- Studying and learning
- Pre-schools
- Schools
Things to do in Auckland
Universities and institutes of technology
Our home is your home
Auckland City Council welcomes you and invites you to enjoy the opportunities
and experiences Auckland has to offer. We want you to make the most of your new
home and share in the care of our beautiful natural environment.
Auckland city lies on a narrow stretch of land between the beautiful Manukau
and Waitemata harbours. Most of Auckland's population lives on the mainland but
there are also 65 islands in the Hauraki Gulf that make up 74 per cent of
Auckland's total land area.
The gulf and its islands are recognised as a regional and national treasure with
diverse landscapes and ecological systems.
The Auckland area was home to Maori for a thousand years before Europeans
settled here. The recognised mana whenua, or indigenous people of Auckland are
Ngati Whatua o Orakei. Now, over 181 different ethnic groups from all over the
world call Auckland home. Our ethnic diversity helps make Auckland an exciting
place to live.
Auckland City Council has a range of services to support new residents and can
offer advice to help make settling in Auckland easier. An interpreter is
available through the call centre for people with English as a second language,
contact us for more information.
Auckland city communities
To help build strong, vibrant communities we provide:
- 21 community centres
- 28 community halls
- 800 parks
- 9 community advisors who can help you
Auckland City Council provides some great ways to get involved in your local
community and meet new people. Our communities are what make Auckland a great
place to live.
Community centres and halls
Auckland City Council provides a variety of affordable and useful facilities for
everyone to use and enjoy.
You can book these for regular events, one-off occasions or lease them long
term.
These venues are mostly funded by Auckland City Council which means a reasonable
fee for the user. You may also be eligible for a discount and funding options
are available.
Community groups
There are many community groups in Auckland city offering a wide range of
activities, including sporting, social and political. You are sure to find one
that matches your interests.
You might want to join an existing group or start a new one. The Community
Information to You (CITY) database is part of the
Auckland City Libraries
website and has a list of current groups and additional information.
Community Net Aotearoa
An internet resource to support communities throughout New Zealand (also see
Citizens Advice Bureau). Visit
www.community.net.nz.
Community advisors
Community advisors are there to assist community groups with such things as
getting funding, sorting out a good decision making structure and finding
information about what's going on in the city.
Contact us to get in touch with your local community advisor.
Funding support
Auckland City Council offers a variety of funding options, advice and support
for not-for-profit community groups.
The community development team offers support through funding, workshops,
training, network contacts, fundraising and assistance with projects. They can
also help you fill out your funding application form.
See grants and funding for more information or
contact us to get in touch with
your local community advisor to access further funding information.
- visit
Auckland City Libraries website
to access Corporate Citizen, a database for finding community funding sources - all you
need is your Auckland City Libraries card barcode and pin number
Auckland City Council community groups can submit articles of community interest
to the Catalyst a free monthly community newsletter by contacting a community
advisor.
You can also contact us to get sent a community and recreation facilities guide.
Auckland arts, events and recreation
Auckland City Council currently provides:
- over 60 free annual events
- an art gallery with over 12000 works of art
- Auckland Zoo
- 20 swimming pools
- 17 libraries
Auckland offers a wide range of attractions and activities with something to
suit everyone. We are involved in almost everything that goes on in the city
whether it be organising, sponsoring or facilitating. We provide a huge range of
services and activities such as:
Auckland events
There are alot of things to do in Auckland city.
Including:
You can access events information from the weekly
events email
newsletter, and the back page of City Scene, the council's weekly
newspaper.
Auckland City Libraries
Auckland City Libraries has:
- 17 libraries
- a world languages collection (26 different languages)
- CDs, DVDs, magazines and public internet access
- resources for people who are learning English
Auckland City Libraries are exciting places for the whole community. In addition
to a wide range of library services, they also run events. These include story
times for children, a variety of beginners computer classes, book clubs, after
school homework centres, exhibitions and cultural activities for people of all
ages.
You can also view rare treasures in special collections, and research local and
family history in the Auckland Research Centre at the Central City Library.
How to join
The Central City Library has an award-winning café called Real. Come and try its
great coffee, food and wine seven days a week.
Discover the latest library events online or visit your library to pick up a
Library LIVE guide.
If you live within Auckland city it is free to join the library. Simply go to
your local library and bring:
- proof of address for example (a letter or bill with your name and address
printed on it)
- photo ID (such as drivers licence or passport)
Computer access
All libraries have computers that you can use for finding information, reading
newspapers online, email, and internet searching. You can also get free access
to the library catalogue, digital library and Microsoft Office software packages
such as Word and Excel.
Caring for your property
Auckland City Council:
- collects enough rubbish every month to fill a rugby field five-stories high
- has 28000 street lights to help keep your neighbourhood and property safe
- has 200km of storm water drains
If we all work together to take care of our environment, we can help to keep
Auckland safe, clean and a great place to live. The council provides a number of
services to support and ensure that your neighbourhood is pleasant for everyone.
Auckland city property information
The council provides a range of
property information products. For instance, the
council can provide you with a Land Information Memorandum or LIM. A LIM can
tell you a lot of things about a property, including whether there are any
flooding or erosion problems on the site; whether the buildings have been built
legally; whether there is any contamination on site and details about sewage and
storm water drains.
Auckland City Council offers an urgent LIM service. This service provides users
with LIM reports within four hours, which can be invaluable when you are buying
property and need information as quickly as possible. The council also has other
property products available, including
valuations,
property files, and
neighbourhood reports.
Rubbish collections
Auckland City Council supplies every household with a blue recycling bin and a
green "wheelie" bin. The council organises for your
rubbish and recycling to be
picked up outside your home once a week.
The inner CBD works differently with each property receiving 104 official red
rubbish bags and 156 official clear recycling bags per year. If you have not
received your bags or have any questions please contact us.
All residents and businesses are responsible for keeping their properties clean
and tidy. This includes keeping grass mown, undergrowth tidy and getting rid of
rubbish.
Auckland City Council produces two pamphlets that deal with rubbish and
recycling:
- Your rubbish and recycling guide (in English and Chinese)
- Planning to clear out some rubbish on your property? (in English and
Chinese)
Contact us to order copy.
Caring for the neighbourhood
We all need to do our bit to help take care of our neighbourhood and be
considerate of our neighbours. The council is there to help if problems arise.
Some of the things the council deals with include:
Civil emergencies
We don't like to think about natural or human-made disasters, but Aucklanders
need to be ready for possible civil emergencies. These can include
infrastructure failure such as power and water outages, volcanic activity, or a
tsunami. These could strike at any time without warning and you could have to
fend for yourself for three days or more with no assistance from emergency
services.
Auckland City Council can advise you on what to do at home and work to stay safe
in an emergency. Contact us or visit www.mcdem.govt.nz for more information.
Your home
In the year ending 30 June 2006 Auckland City Council:
- processed more than 8000 building consents
- supplied more than 8800 LIM reports
- registered more than 18000 dogs
There are a number of rules in place to ensure that your neighbourhood is
pleasant for all residents. These regulations help protect the environment and
ensure that activities do not adversely affect other members of the community.
Altering your home
A building consent and/or
resource consent is required when you:
- construct or demolish a building
- make an addition to a building
- erect a fence
- make internal or external alterations to your home or any other building.
A consent allows you to carry out work in accordance with the council's district
plan and government legislation, such as the Building Act 2004. Following these
rules ensures that developments are safe and of a high standard.
Trees and gardens
Trees are important to Auckland City Council and provide value for the whole
community. They protect both the soil and us from the effects of noise and
weather as well as improving the city's visual environment.
Trees over a certain size are protected. A resource consent is required if you
want to prune, trim, or remove a protected tree. Resource consent can be applied
for and issued free of charge. Any work beneath the canopy of a tree, such as
digging or storing materials requires a consent.
Auckland City Council produces two pamphlets that deal with tree protection:
- Guide to tree protection controls
- Planning on pruning or cutting down your trees (in English and Chinese)
Permeability
Permeable surfaces are those that absorb water such as grass and gardens.
Impermeable surfaces are those that cannot absorb water such as pavements,
decks, driveways and buildings. If too large an area of your property is covered
in impermeable surfaces pressure is put on the storm water system and increases
the risk of flooding. The council's district plan outlines exactly how much of
your property can be made of impermeable surfaces. If your property consists of
too many impermeable surface areas and you do not have a consent, then some of
these areas will have to be removed.
Pets
You can keep a pet or other animals (eg rabbits and guinea pigs) in Auckland as
long as it does not become a nuisance. All
dogs over the age of three-months
must be registered with the council. Dogs first registered in New Zealand after
1 July 2006 must be microchipped, unless they are working farm dogs. You need a
permit to keep more than one dog. Dogs are also required to be on a leash in
most public places.
Your council
Facts about Auckland city:
- the council has one Mayor and 19 councillors
- elections take place every three years
- Auckland city has 10 community boards with 52 community board members
- the council welcomes over 6000 new citizens each year in its citizenship
ceremonies.
New Zealand's governance responsibilities can be divided into three separate
levels.
Central government
Covering all of New Zealand, the elected government is responsible for health,
education, welfare, police, defence and immigration at a national level.
Auckland Regional Council
Covers the greater Auckland area and deals with public transport, regional
parks, regional land use and regional environmental planning.
Auckland City Council
Is the local government body responsible for Auckland city's well-being,
development and maintenance. In addition to managing day-to-day needs like
rubbish collection, footpaths and storm water services, the council also works
hard to support the economic development of the city and provide a supportive,
active environment for people working and living in the city.
Council elections
If you are over 18 years old, a citizen or permanent resident and have lived in
New Zealand for more than one year, you can vote or stand in national, regional,
or local body elections.
If you wish to stand as a candidate for the local body elections (Auckland)
contact the electoral officer on 379 2020.
If you wish to vote you need to enrol to vote first. Phone Elections New Zealand
on 0800 367 656 for help to enrol.
Having your say
You can express your views on city-wide and local issues to elected
representatives, such as councillors and community board members. You can also
raise issues through council committees, community boards, formal council
meetings and formal consultation, such as the annual plan process.
Community board members are elected to look after local interests and to be a
link between the community and the council. Community boards were established to
ensure people have their say on local issues.
Contact details for councillors and committee board members may be obtained from
the council website or by contacting Auckland City Council.
Rates
Rates are paid by all ratepayers in Auckland - this is usually the owner of the
property.
Rates pay for a wide range of facilities and services including roads, drainage,
maintenance of parks, rubbish collections, museums, the art gallery, the zoo and
libraries.
Rates may be paid:
- in person at one of our service centres
- in person at the 40 Westpac Bank branches between Orewa and Bombay
- by mailing in the envelope supplied
- by paying online with
your credit card
- by direct debit at fortnightly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly and annual
intervals
- by telephone banking
- by internet banking
Refer to your rates notice for more information on rates.
Transport
Auckland city has:
- 1415km of roads
- 2214km of footpaths
- about 39km of cycleways
- about 26km of shared bus and bike lanes
- over 120 bus routes
- 12 ferry routes across the Waitemata Harbour
- trains that run regularly along two rail lines accessing the east, west and
south of the city.
Auckland City Council is delivering more transport choice for the city. We are
constantly improving the city's cycling and walking network, access to public
transport including bus, train and ferry services, and the road network.
Visit www.maxx.co.nz for free information
on planning your journey around Auckland by public transport. The website
includes timetable and fare information for travel by train, bus and ferry.
Take the bus
There are bus services servicing key routes to and from the CBD as well as
across the city. The Link and City Circuit buses travel around the CBD with
other services available for travel between the CBD and the city suburbs.
Travel by bus is getting quicker as Auckland's network of bus lanes grows. Bus
lanes can be used by buses, cyclists, motorbikes and emergency services. The
lanes operate during peak traffic times and these times can vary. It is
important to check the signs to find out when the bus lanes are operating. View
the other rules for using the Auckland City Council's bus lanes.
Catch a train
There are two rail lines across Auckland servicing the city. The
Britomart
Transport Centre is in downtown Auckland, meaning travelling by train is a real
choice for visiting the CBD. At some local stations across the city,
park-and-ride facilities are available or planned so its easier for people to
travel by train. Some bus routes also service the rail stations.
Take a ferry
Catching a ferry is a great way to travel. Ferry services connect the city with
the North Shore, eastern bays and Hauraki Gulf Islands. In the CBD, all ferries
leave from the historic Ferry Building at the bottom of Queen Street.
MAXX Regional Transport
Everything you need to know about getting around Auckland on buses, trains and
ferries. Visit www.maxx.co.nz
Land Transport Safety Authority
General enquiries, including motor vehicle registration and driver licensing visit
www.ltsa.govt.nz.
Driving a car in New Zealand
You can drive a car with a valid overseas drivers licence or an international
driving permit in New Zealand for up to 12 months. If you stay longer than 12
months you must get a New Zealand drivers licence. Contact the
Automobile
Association to find out more about New Zealand's road rules and
driver licensing.
If you do drive, you'll need to find parking. Auckland City Council's ParkRight
car park buildings offer secure and competitively priced parking in the central
city.
The council also manages pay-and-display parking on the city's streets. This
ensures everyone has an equal chance of finding a park. Remember to check the
signs before you park and pay using text messaging, credit card or coins to
avoid a parking fine.
Directories
Accident and emergency
In an emergency, dial 111 for police, fire or ambulance.
Telephone directories
Telephone directories are a useful source of information. They are updated every
year and delivered to your home. You can also get them from your local New
Zealand Postshop. The telephone directory is also called the White Pages. This
lists the telephone numbers for all people and businesses in Auckland in
alphabetical order. Visit www.whitepages.co.nz.
The Yellow Pages list businesses only. Visit
www.yellowpages.co.nz.
Auckland City Council services
See our A - Z of council services
Auckland City Council offices
For general enquiries you can find information here on the
website or contact us
directly. An interpreter is available for people with English as a second
language through the call centre.
Civic service centre
Parking, traffic and roading, central area planning.
Graham Street service centre
Building, planning, environmental health and licensing, property information.
Waiheke Island service centre
A range of specialist advice, with an emphasis on Waiheke Island issues.
Great Barrier Island service centre
A range of specialist advice, with an emphasis on Great Barrier Island issues.
Business help
Auckland Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Provides training assistance, resources, news and upcoming events for local
businesses. Visit www.chamber.org.nz.
Children
Child, Youth and Family
Government department promoting the well-being and safety of children and
positive parenting. Visit www.cyf.govt.nz.
What's up
Telephone counselling service for children and young people (noon to midnight).
Visit www.whatsup.co.nz.
Ethnic communities
Auckland Regional Migrant Service
Supports migrants with help and information to settle successfully in Auckland.
Visit www.arms-mrc.org.nz.
Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs
Promotes the development of Pacific peoples in New Zealand by providing
policy and communications advice to agencies on issues that affect Pacific
peoples.
Office of Ethnic Affairs
Provides advisory services to government and non-government agencies on policy
matters. They have ethnic advisors who encourage supportive social networks for
ethnic community groups so an environment where identity and cultural heritage
are valued can be maintained. Visit www.ethnicaffairs.govt.nz.
Government services
Some services you require may be provided by central government. This may
include finding a job, assistance with housing, schools, study, immigration, or
New Zealand law. Information on how to contact the correct government department
is available by visiting www.govt.nz.
Health
Public hospitals in Auckland city are:
- Auckland Hospital
- Starship Children's Hospital
- Greenlane Hospital
- National Women's Hospital
Housing
Department of Building and Housing
Provides information and guidance on building law and compliance. Also gives
advice to tenants and landlords. Visit
www.dbh.govt.nz/.
Housing New Zealand Corporation
Providing affordable rental homes for people on a low or moderate income. Visit
www.hnzc.co.nz.
Jobs and work
New Zealand Immigration Service (Department of Labour)
Provides information, visa and permits for different migration categories.
Information on what New Zealand has to offer immigrants and assistance for
employers. Visit www.immigration.govt.nz.
New Zealand Inland Revenue Department
Information on obligations and entitlements on income and business tax. Visit
www.ird.govt.nz.
Work and Income
Provides assistance with finding a job, seasonal employment or help becoming
self-employed. Also offers financial assistance for individuals through benefits
such as sickness or unemployment benefits and superannuation. Can provide extra
help with accommodation, childcare and disability-related costs as well as
emergency help. Visit www.winz.govt.nz.
Career Services
Provides advice on choosing, planning and developing your career. They have
information on jobs in New Zealand and information on courses and training.
Career Services also have information on industries in New Zealand and national
and regional work trends. Visit www.kiwicareers.govt.nz.
New Kiwis
Information that matches the skills of migrants with organisations and
businesses. Visit www.newkiwis.co.nz.
SEEK
A job, career and employment website. Visit www.seek.co.nz.
Language
English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)
Provides home tutors for people wanting to learn English. Visit
www.esolht.org.nz.
Personal help
Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB)
Free information, advice and referral provided by community volunteers. Visit
www.cab.org.nz for a multi-lingual service.
Police
For non-emergencies, contact your local police station or community constable
listed under Police in the government section of the telephone directory White
Pages.
Studying and learning
Pre-schools
Kidspot
Provides an online directory of early education suppliers. Visit
www.kidspot.co.nz.
Schools
Ministry of Education
Provides information on schools, teaching and job vacancies. Also has school
term dates, information about studying in New Zealand, student loans and
allowances, and school enrolment procedures. Visit
www.minedu.govt.nz.
Things to do in Auckland
Tourism Auckland visitor information centre
Provides information on what's on in Auckland, where to stay, what to do, how to
get around and Maori tourism. Visit www.aucklandnz.com.
Universities and institutes of technology
AUT University
Offers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees as well as
diplomas and certificates. Visit www.aut.ac.nz.
Unitec
Offers degree level study and post graduate degrees across a range of
professional and vocational areas. Visit www.unitec.ac.nz.
University of Auckland
Offers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees as well as
diplomas and certificates. Visit www.auckland.ac.nz.
Updated November 2008
