Largest cities in New Zealand by population
The 9 cities the United Nations Demographic Yearbook 2024 lists for New Zealand: the capital and every city of 100,000 or more, with the latest figure the country reported. The largest is Auckland with 1,816,000 people; the capital, Wellington, has 210,800.
Who runs cities in New Zealand?
Regional councils (11): Councillors elected for three years; the chair is elected by councillors. Environment, freshwater, regional transport, civil defence.
How local power works in New Zealand · Level 3: local councils worldwide
| # | City | Population | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auckland | 1,816,000 | 2025 |
| 2 | Christchurch | 419,200 | 2025 |
| 3 | Wellington (capital) | 210,800 | 2025 |
| 4 | Hamilton | 192,100 | 2025 |
| 5 | Tauranga | 161,000 | 2025 |
| 6 | Napier-Hastings | 154,700 | 2025 |
| 7 | Dunedin | 132,800 | 2025 |
| 8 | Lower Hutt | 114,200 | 2025 |
| 9 | Whangarei District | 100,600 | 2025 |
Countries define a city in different ways (the city proper, or the wider urban area) and report in different years, so cities in different countries are not always comparable.
More on New Zealand: official statistics · government and power · regions
Sources
- United Nations Statistics Division: Demographic Yearbook 2024, Table 8: Population of capital cities and cities of 100 000 or more inhabitants, latest available year, 2005-2024, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0c6784df022e…)
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