Recent News

The 2018 Survey has now been completed and the reports are now available.

The 2018 Quality of Life Survey results are available here »

2018 Individual City Reports

Auckland (2.5Mb PDF)

Christchurch (3Mb PDF)

Hutt City (Neilsen Online Dashboard)

Dunedin (2.6Mb PDF)

*Please note some of the numbers have been adjusted slightly since the initial release on 12 September 2018.

The Quality of Life Project was initiated in 1999 in response to growing pressures on urban communities, concern about the impacts of urbanisation and the effects of this on the wellbeing of residents.

The project was a collaboration between councils represented in Local Government New Zealand’s Local Government Metro Sector forum.

The key purpose of the project was to provide information to decision-makers to improve the quality of life in major New Zealand urban areas.

The last full Quality of Life report was prepared in 2007. Following several significant events in New Zealand and a general tightening of local government funds, a decision was made to disband the wider project.

However, it was agreed by the core participating councils of Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin to continue in a collaborative partnership for the Quality of Life survey, for a few reasons: 

• The Quality of Life survey is distinct from annual resident ‘opinion’ or ‘satisfaction’ surveys which are concerned with council services rather than wider perceptions; 
• the results are directly comparable between council areas and over time; 
• the results are used by councils in monitoring wellbeing in their areas;
• there are cost efficiencies for participating in a joint survey.