Auckland ranked 5th best city in world

By REBECCA WALSH

Auckland is scooting up an international survey ranking the world's cities for their "quality of life".

The City of Sails has moved from sixth place last year to fifth this year. But the survey shows we have lost more than the America's Cup to the Swiss: the top city is Zurich.

Second equal are Vancouver, Vienna and another Swiss city, Geneva. Auckland is tied with Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Sydney - and yes, the Swiss capital, Berne.

Baghdad, the Iraqi capital where residents are preparing for a possible US-led war, was placed 213th out of the 215 cities studied.

The survey, commissioned by Mercer Human Resource Consulting, was based on 39 criteria ranging from political, social and economic factors, including the quality of health, education and transport services.

It found Auckland rated highly in terms of recreational opportunities, from restaurants to sports activities.

The city scored well on housing, based on the attractiveness of rental houses and apartments. There were also plenty of quality appliances and furniture.

Public services including, water, electricity, telephone and mail got the thumbs up but public transport didn't fare so well.

Traffic congestion, the distance to the airport from the city and the limited number of direct flights from the airport counted against the city.

Judith Tizard, the Government minister with responsibility for Auckland, was "absolutely delighted" with Auckland's ranking, which showed how well the city held up internationally. She did not believe Auckland's rating would slump with the loss of the America's Cup, provided the city made the most of opportunities in areas such as the marine industry, the food and beverage sector, the fashion industry and promotion of the Government's regional economic development strategy.

"Obviously we're all disappointed to lose the America's Cup but it's only a yacht race, not the end of the world, and New Zealand is still a fabulous place to be in."

Ms Tizard said the city's transport had been underfunded for 50 years but initiatives such as bus lanes were making a real difference.

Chris O'Brien, a senior consultant at Mercer's Human Capital New Zealand practice, said New Zealand cities rated higher than overseas cities because of the country's political stability, personal freedom, hospital services, availability of consumer goods, climate and the accessibility of sports and leisure activities.

Wellington was ranked 15th overall.

Other rankings included Amsterdam at 10, Tokyo at 26, London at 39, Los Angeles at 53 and Rome at 66. African cities occupied 17 of the bottom 20 spots.

Cities in both New Zealand and Australia also scored well for personal safety. Auckland and Wellington ranked 25th on the list. Mr O'Brien said not only did New Zealand cities rate well in the quality of life survey but they also compared favourably in a separate survey on the cost of living.

While Auckland and Sydney rated about the same on the quality of life survey, Sydney was considerably more expensive.

"People often forget how good cities in New Zealand are and tend to knock things here but the ratings are something to be proud of."

Regional growth figures released yesterday show Auckland had 4.6 per cent growth in the last calendar year, boosted by real estate sales and economic optimism.