SWOT Analysis of Auckland, New Zealand

SWOT Analysis: Auckland City, New Zealand
Student’s Name
Institution
SWOT Analysis: Auckland City, New Zealand
Auckland city is New Zealand’s most populous city. It accommodates over a third of New Zealand’s population (Wilson, 2016). As a result, it is also the largest domestic market for New Zealand producers. While Auckland has a good climate for business, climate change and natural calamities such as heavy flooding and erosion threaten its development. Being New Zealand’s commercial hub, Auckland has many strengths and opportunities, which will be explored in this report. This report will also analyze the weaknesses and threats and provide recommendations on how to build on the strengths and opportunities and address the weaknesses and threats.
Economic Situation
Auckland has a strong economy that accounts for about 38% 0f New Zealand’s gross domestic product (GDP) (Auckland, n.d.). Two factors contribute to this. One, Auckland has a growing labor market as it continues to attract young people from all over New Zealand (Auckland Tourism, Events, and Economic Development, 2018). The growth rate is 3.2% per year. The city is a great source of employment, with an unemployment rate of 4.5%. Two, Auckland is a service-based economy. The key industries that have received a lot of emphasis in Auckland are (Auckland Tourism, Events, and Economic Development, n.d.):
* The enabling industries, which include the tourism, construction, and international education sectors. The enabling industries account for NZD$120billion of Auckland’s GDP.
* The tradeable industries, which include the food and beverage and the screen and creative industries. These industries account for NZD$21.3 billion of Auckland’s GDP.
* The advanced industries which comprise of the technology and commercial services industries. These industries account for NZD$8.3 billion of Auckland’s GDP.
Since the industries that have received the most emphasis are service and innovation-based, Auckland has been focusing on growing talents in the service sector for the last several decades by increasing the number of graduates from tertiary institutions. The number of post-graduate students has increased from 5, 172 in 2008 to over 6,600 (Wilson, 2016).
Cultural and Social Situation
Auckland is a culturally diverse city that is home to many people who migrated from the South Pacific Nations. To ensure cultural and social inclusion, which is part of New Zealand’s legislation, Auckland has a policy that supports community building initiatives (Auckland Council, 2018). The local boards, which are part of the Auckland Council, are assigned the responsibility of organizing and managing local events and cultural/ community-based initiatives (Auckland Council, n.d.a). Part of Auckland’s policy involves promoting social equity. For instance, the city’s leadership has put social systems in place that address structural discrimination in accessing education and employment (Auckland Council, 2018). Auckland has adopted a universal design to address the barriers to physical access to facilities and services. The long-term plan is to eliminate socio-economic disparity among diverse communities in the city.
A good example of such initiatives is the Southern Initiative, which was established in 2012 to increase education, and training employments, enhance housing development and increase transportation services (Auckland Council, 2018). As a result, people from four local boards have access to some of the most crucial services.
Governmental Atmosphere
Auckland is governed by the Auckland Council, which is a unitary authority that comprises of the governing body and the local boards (Auckland Council, n.d.a). The governing body is made up of the mayor and 20 councilors while the local boards are made up of community representatives. These are all elected through a voting process. The governing body is responsible for making regulatory decisions (making rates and bylaws), managing the city’s finances, appointing a chief executive to lead the council and formulation and implementation of long-term plans. The governing body is chaired by the mayor, whose other responsibilities include appointing a deputy mayor, representing the council to the public, leading development policies and plans, and planning and responding to emergencies.
The local boards are responsible for making non-regulatory decisions such as managing local parks, planning community events, and developing community-based initiatives. Each local board appoints a chair whose role is to lead the local board, develop and maintain relationships with stakeholders, and work with the governing body by sharing the inputs of the local board. Ultimately, the key role of each elected member is to represent the communities that elected them.
The governing body makes decisions based on the needs of Aucklanders. These needs are presented to the governing body by the local boards. The advisory panel also ensures that the governing body does not make legislation based on their ideologies. This panel is diverse, just like the communities in Auckland. It includes a business advisory panel which ensures that the governing body is advised on business issues. Also, the Auckland Council cannot make any legislative or decisions without accounting for the interests of the communities (Auckland Council, n.d.a). As a result, the Auckland Council has a close working relationship with private business owners. There are also key public-private partnerships (PPP) such as the Puhoi to Warkworth 18km expressway and the school projects which have allowed Auckland to develop its transport infrastructure and education (New Zealand Infrastructure Commission,n.d.).
Auckland’s Government Structure
SWOT Analysis
Strengths

Weaknesses

* Education: Over a third of Auckland’s workforce has higher levels of education (a bachelor’s degree or better).
* Working-age population: Auckland has a larger percentage of the working-age population (15-64 years) compared to the rest of New Zealand.
* Markets: Access to a large population that provides a market for the city and the country at large (Wilson, 2016)
* Educational facilities: Home to a substantial number of research and tertiary institutes. The city also has several PPP projects aimed at building schools.
* Employment: High employment rates; the city offers adequate employment opportunities for people, including those from outside ...