Press Release – Auckland Council
The latest population projections are proof of the need for Auckland to plan and invest for its future according to Auckland’s Deputy Mayor.

Forecasts released by Statistics New Zealand today indicate within the next 20 years, Auckland’s population will have grown by a third from the current 1.5 million to around two million.

“None of this should come as any surprise to anyone, nor should it be seen as necessarily a bad thing,” says Cr Penny Hulse, who also chairs the council’s Auckland Plan Committee.

“New Zealand needs an international city to compete on the international stage. But to be a great international city, and to be the world’s most liveable city, we have to plan and invest.

“If people think congestion is bad now, imagine what things would be like with two million people living here. We need to fix our public transport system. That’s why we’ve put in place building blocks to prepare for the growth.

“Next year we’ll see the first of our new electric trains, we’ve started work on the City Rail Link to open up the whole rail network, and there are more buses on the roads than ever before, but there is much more to do.

“We’ve passed the Auckland Plan, which takes a 30-year vision of how our region should develop and we’re delivering the largest ever investment in our local communities in order to cater for our population increase.

“Auckland Council will take a prudent approach to paying for that growth and we will deliver $1.7 billion in savings over the next ten years. However, people should be wary of those who say we should cut a lot more or Auckland will grind to a halt.”

Thirty-four out of every 100 New Zealanders currently live in Auckland. The Statistics New Zealand projections indicate by 2031 that will increase to 38 percent of New Zealanders.

Content Sourced from scoop.co.nz
Original url