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The 2012 Quality of Life Survey results are now available.

The biennial Quality of Life survey measures the perceptions of over 5,000 residents living in six of the country’s largest cities, from Auckland to Dunedin. The survey is a collaborative project across the cities involved in the broader Quality of Life project. It includes a variety of issues including perceptions of quality of life and health, crime and safety, social issues in their local area, public transport, community and social networks. An overall six cities report is now available as well as reports for each of the participating cities and indivdual sections.

Next Quality of Life Report

The Quality of Life Report is traditionally released as a hard copy report after the release of Statistics New Zealand’s Census of Population and Dwellings. Following the devastating earthquakes in Christchurch of February 2011, the 2011 Census was delayed until March 2013. The Quality of Life Project Team is preparing for the next Quality of Life report which is due to be released once Census data is finalised in late 2013/early 2014. This release could involve some changes to the format of the report to ensure that the report remains useful to key stakeholders.

Full Quality of Life Reports

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The Quality of Life Project was initiated in response to growing pressures on urban communities, concern about the impacts of urbanisation and the effects of this on the well being of residents.

The key purpose of the Project is to:

• Provide information to decision-makers to improve the quality of life in major New Zealand urban areas.

Objectives of the Project include:

• Consistency of indicator use and monitoring methods among participating cities
• Provision of data to support advocacy on urban issues
• Raising the profile of urban issues within central government
• Collaborative working of bigger cities to monitor and address quality of life issues.
• Monitoring across the cities enables participating councils to develop a consistent set of indicators, identify urban issues and trends, and provide a platform to develop comprehensive responses to these.

Quality of Life Project Structure

Contributing Data:	Quality of Life Survey (e.g. Resident perceptions of wellbeing) Survey is conducted biennially	Data from Secondary Sources (e.g. Government agencies, councils, etc) Data is collected on an ongoing basis
Reporting Framework:	Quality of Life Report 6 cities joint report is released once every five years following release of new census data. Quality of Life Survey A report on Quality of Life Survey results is released every two years
Advocacy:	Metropolitan Sector Group advocacy to central government on urban issues Advocacy occurs on an ongoing basis through the Metropolitan Sector Group work programme and through contributions to central and local government decision making processes
	Improved quality of life and wellbeing outcomes for 6 cities residents

The Project includes the following Six Cities

The Quality of Life Project was established in 1999 to provide social, economic and environmental indicators of quality of life in six of New Zealand’s largest cities. Since then the cities which participate in the Project have changed over time. The core members of the project are Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. Both Porirua and Hutt City joined these core members as participants in the latest Quality of Life Survey. Between them these cities account for almost 53% of the total population of New Zealand. In the past, up to 12 cities have participated in the project. This number has reduced with the withdrawal of Tauranga and Hamilton between 2010 and 2012 and the establishment of the new Auckland Council on 1 November 2010 following the amalgamation of eight local authorities in the wider Auckland region. Any references to 'the twelve cities' contained on this website or in any historical reports refer to those cities which previously participated in the Project.

Auckland Pop 1,305,018 Wellington Pop 179,466 Hutt Pop 97,710 Porirua Pop 48,537 Christchurch Pop 348,435 Dunedin Pop 118,686