About the survey

The 2026 Quality of Life survey is a partnership between Auckland Council, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington, Porirua, Hutt and Dunedin City Councils. These are large urban areas and account for over half of New Zealand’s total population.

The survey was initiated over 20 years ago in response to concerns about the impacts of urbanisation on the wellbeing of residents and communities.
It occurs every two years.

The 2026 survey measures the perceptions of almost 5725 New Zealanders. Topics covered include:

— Overall quality of life
— Environment (built and natural)
— Housing
— Public transport
— Health, wellbeing and social connections
— Social issues and safety
— Climate change
— Employment and cost of living
— Institutions and councils

In 2026, fieldwork and reporting was undertaken by IPSOS New Zealand, an independent research company.

Information obtained from the survey is used to help inform local government policy and to undertake monitoring of progress towards strategic social, cultural, environmental and economic goals.

spots

The 2026 project management team .

The survey is managed by representatives from four councils on behalf of the seven participating councils.

In 2026 the team included:

Ashleigh Prakash ~ Auckland Council

Marcus Downs ~ Wellington City Council

Wendy Botha ~ Hutt City Council

Rula Abu-Safieh Talahma ~ Dunedin City Council