Auckland – Eighth Most Liveable City in the World

This post was written while I was living in Auckland in 2016 — the rankings have shifted since then, but spoiler: New Zealand only got better.

And the results are in for 2016! Auckland once again is in the top ten most liveable cities in the world, sharing the top 10 with cities in Austria, Australia, Canada, Finland and Germany. And in September, National Geographic posted the happiest countries in the world and NZ was number 8!

Also interesting to note that New Zealand has 3 of the top 20 friendliest cities in the world! Queenstown (in NZ’s South island) is number 4, Auckland is number 15, and Wellington is number 17. We drove through Queenstown on New Year’s Eve last year and were amazed at the traffic and crowds. We decided Queenstown wasn’t for us and left. I know it’s a beautiful city but so does everyone else apparently. And you can see my US Southern pride come out when I am somewhat affronted that Queenstown is in the top 10 friendliest cities with the likes of Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia — two cities that ooze Southern hospitality like no others in the world possibly could!

New Zealand also consistently ranks as one of the most peaceful countries in the world — fourth globally at last count, behind only Austria, Denmark and Iceland. That’s not why I moved here, but I know several people who immigrated specifically looking for a more peaceful place to raise their children. It’s not hard to understand why.

What’s interesting is that NZ has a significant problem with domestic violence — one UN report ranked it among the worst of the developed countries in that regard. It seems so at odds with the relaxed, family-oriented nature of most Kiwis I know. Whanau — extended family — is a huge part of Māori culture and that family orientation runs deep across the whole country. The domestic violence statistics are a real shadow on an otherwise remarkably peaceful place, and New Zealanders know it and talk about it.

And lastly, to round out my top X list — New Zealand cities are some of the most beautiful in the world. Conde Nast’s list of top 50 most beautiful cities in the world puts Queenstown at number 13.