Extract from the Executive summary

Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland continues to undergo significant changes to its population structure. The 2023 Census documented 219,753 usual Auckland residents aged 65 years and over, which accounted for 13% of Auckland’s total population. Moreover, it is projected this group will reach 21% of the total Auckland population by 2053. This means it is expected that the number of older Aucklanders will more than double in the three decades between 2023 and 2053. Such significant growth is not expected in any other age group and is unprecedented in New Zealand history.

Older people in Auckland make significant contributions to the region. Auckland Council has a clear strategic commitment to recognise what older people offer to the city and to respond to their needs, particularly as they constitute an ever-growing proportion of Auckland’s population. This directive is outlined in the Auckland Plan 2050 and Tāmaki Makaurau Tauawhi Kaumātua – the Age-friendly Auckland Action Plan. One of the primary aims of the Age-friendly Auckland Action Plan is to improve the quality of life of older Aucklanders.

This study provides up-to-date evidence to support the implementation of the Age-friendly Auckland Action Plan. Since 2016, council’s Social and Economic Research and Evaluation team and the Community Policy team have jointly undertaken a study of the quality of life of older Aucklanders. The 2016 study developed a baseline dataset, which was updated in 2021. The 2021 study was particularly important in understanding how older Aucklanders experienced life in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, housing affordability, and the increasing cost of living.

The Age-friendly Auckland Action Plan is due to be refreshed and updated evidence is required to support its development. This is particularly important as Auckland’s demographic, social, and economic landscape has undergone further changes since the 2021 survey. Technological advances, geopolitical disruption, climate-related disasters, and cost-of-living pressures have characterised life for residents, particularly for older people.

This report explores the current state of older Aucklanders’ quality of life. Like the 2021 status report, we explored data from secondary sources, as well as primary data from a survey of Aucklanders aged 65 years and over. The 2026 survey collected responses from 849 older Aucklanders. We also compared survey responses (where possible) to results from the 2016 and 2021 surveys.

Findings from the 2026 survey revealed cross-cutting themes across the data:

• There were strong associations between ethnicity and location. Quality of life differed across intersecting axes of ethnicity and location. For instance, results highlighted that older people living in northern areas of Auckland were generally more positive about their quality of life – respondents living here were more likely to be European. Meanwhile, those living in southern, western, and eastern areas were less positive about their quality of life – these respondents were more likely to be of Māori, Pacific, or Asian ethnicity.

• Furthermore, diversity in lived experiences emerged strongly based on ethnic group. The data revealed that older Pacific respondents often had distinctive lived experiences compared to other ethnic groups. On the one hand, they experienced poorer outcomes across a wide range of measures when compared to the total sample, such as overall quality of life, housing affordability, ability to heat their homes, housing suitability and accessibility, trust in others, financial wellbeing, emergency savings, Internet access and confidence, and public transport use. Conversely, they also reported good outcomes related to their community connection, social participation, and cultural engagement.

• Accessibility appears to provide persistent challenges for older Aucklanders. Survey respondents noted greater dissatisfaction and concerns around issues relating to accessibility, such as concerns around their housing accessibility, the accessibility of public transport, walkability of their neighbourhoods, accessibility of green spaces, and accessibility of council services. More work could be undertaken to understand these issues for older Aucklanders in greater depth.

• Affordability concerns were also prominent among older Aucklanders. Older Aucklanders were overall positive across a range of financial indicators. However, the trend over time is one of deterioration in affordability, particularly in regard to housing affordability, home heating affordability, and living standards. Economic pressures appear to be a clear area of decline and a noteworthy challenge for this age group.

These insights present opportunities for further research and consultation, in order to improve how services are planned and delivered in ways that meet the needs of our growing ageing population.

To this end, Auckland Council will continue to work with its varied stakeholders – local communities, central government, and other members of the Age-friendly Network – to understand and respond to these challenges and opportunities

Auckland Council technical report, TR2026/12

September 2026

See also

Older Aucklanders 2026: a quality of life – summary report

Older Aucklanders quality of life survey 2026. Technical report. Ipsos New Zealand