Auckland has an important role as New Zealand's main connection point for international and domestic markets. We need to use this role to increase exports.
Opportunities available in Auckland due to its scale, facilities and diverse population include:
- diverse and more specialised labour markets
- scope for specialised production, which increases trade between firms
- access to international markets which provides more scope for firms to benefit from scale economies
- opportunities to stimulate the development and spread of new ideas, technologies and ways of doing business
- business contacts in migrants' countries of origin
- a variety of specialised cultural and recreation opportunities.
Auckland however still has a primarily inwardly-focused economy driven by consumption, real estate, and domestically-focused services.
The image below shows the top five New Zealand export markets in 2017.