KEY POINTS:
Auckland Mayor John Banks is urging his residents to have a natter with their neighbours after a report rated the region's four cities as the worst in New Zealand for community spirit.
Auckland's lacklustre rating was revealed in the latest ASB TopSpots report, which placed Dunedin top of 12 cities, with Rodney District second and Wellington third.
Languishing in the bottom four places were North Shore, Manukau, Auckland and Waitakere respectively.
The report is based largely on data from the Quality of Life Report commissioned by the 11 cities and one district council (Rodney), covering 56 per cent of the New Zealand population.
TopSpots author Stephen Hart analysed the 200-page report and scored the cities according to criteria including a sense of community, feeling of trust, feeling of loneliness, contact with neighbours and civic pride.
Auckland City ranked lowest in terms of availability of support, loneliness and isolation, and worst for graffiti, vandalism and litter.
Waitakere came last for sense of community and feeling of trust.
Only 52 per cent of Aucklanders agreed or strongly agreed they had a strong sense of community, coming ninth in that category. By comparison 73 per cent of Rodney residents enjoyed a strong sense of community. Hamilton and Waitakere came last equal with only half their residents agreeing.
Manukau was fourth equal for its strong sense of community but second to last in the trust category.
Auckland and Waitakere ranked as the loneliest cities, whereas Dunedin ranked the least loneliest with Rodney a close second. The highest levels of extreme loneliness and isolation were recorded in Auckland and Tauranga.
Tauranga also ranked lowest in terms of a culturally rich arts scene.
Rodney had the most positive contact with neighbours, North Shore was fifth and Auckland and Wellington sixth equal. Manukau and Hamilton were eighth equal and Waitakere 11th.
Auckland and Waitakere recorded the highest level of negative contact with neighbours (14 per cent).
As for pride, Wellingtonians came top at 82 per cent, compared with only 43 per cent of Aucklanders.
Banks shrugged off Auckland's poor ratings, pointing out six times during an interview with the Herald on Sunday that Auckland City was ranked fifth best city in the world last year before eventually conceding there was "room for improvement".
"It is incumbent on all of us to lift our game, to talk to the neighbours across the back fence and to pride ourselves on the fact that we are a community. And when we become a 'supercity' the challenge is going to be even greater to keep that sense of identity."
Banks said he knew everyone on his Remuera street and they knew him.
Click here to read the full TopSpots report.
