After the local government reforms of 1989, the term "city" began to take on two meanings in New Zealand. Before 1989, a borough council with more than 20,000 people could be proclaimed a city. The boundaries of councils tended to follow the edge of the built-up area, so little distinction was made between the urban area and the local government area.

In 1989, the local government structure was significantly rationalised. The new district and city councils were generally much larger and covered both urban and rural land. Many places that once had a city council were now being administered by a district council.

The word "city" began to be used in a less formal sense to describe major urban areas independent of local body boundaries. This informal usage is jealously guarded. Gisborne, for example, adamantly described itself as the first city in the world to see the new millennium. Gisborne is administered by a district council, but its status as a city is not generally disputed.

Population of urban areas

The populations given are the Statistics New Zealand usually resident population estimates for 30 June 2005 and refer to the population of the main urban area unless otherwise stated. Table shows metropolitan areas with estimated population size:

Urban area	Population (2003)	Notes
Auckland	1,241,600
Wellington	370,000
Christchurch	367,700
Hamilton	155,800	1.
Dunedin	114,700
Tauranga	109,100
Palmerston North	78,800
Hastings	62,300	2.
Nelson	59,600
Napier	57,300	2.
Rotorua	54,900
New Plymouth	49,600
Whangarei	48,600
Invercargill	47,800
Wanganui	39,400
Gisborne	32,700
Timaru	27,200	3.

Notes:

1. The population figure for Hamilton refers to the Hamilton Urban Zone only. The outlying areas of Te Awamutu and Cambridge are not generally considered part of Hamilton and are excluded from the figure. The total population of all three zones is 185,000.
2. The population figures for Napier and Hastings refer to the urban zones. The total population of the Napier-Hastings Urban Area is 119,600.
3. Timaru (27,200) once had a city council, but it is now administered as part of a district council.
4. Blenheim (28,400) is sometimes referred to as a city, especially by locals, although its (former) borough council was never proclaimed a city.
5. Kapiti (37,400) is the only Statistics New Zealand Main Urban Area not listed. It includes the townships of Paekakariki, Raumati, Paraparaumu, Paraparaumu Beach, and Waikanae, and Pekapeka locality, in the Kapiti Coast District, and is not known as a city.
6. Taupo, located in the central North Island and with a population of 22,100, is rarely referred to as a city.
7. Masterton, the main centre in the Wairarapa, is also rarely referred to as a city, as it has a population of 20,000.
8. The town of Tokoroa in the South Waikato district was long expected to become a city when its population continued to grow past 18,000 during the 1980s. However, with the restructuring of the forestry industry, Tokoroa's main industry, many jobs were lost and Tokoroa's population declined.

City councils

The populations given are the Statistics New Zealand usually resident population taken from the Census of 7 March 2006.

City Council	Population (2006)	First Proclaimed	Ranking (size)
North Shore	205,608	1989	4
Waitakere	186,444	1989	5
Auckland	404,658	1871	1
Manukau	328,968	1965	3
Hamilton	129,249	1936	7
Tauranga	103,635	1963	9
Napier	55,359	1950	12
Palmerston North	75,543	1930	11
Porirua	48,546	1965	14
Upper Hutt	38,415	1966	16
Lower Hutt	97,701	1941	10
Wellington	179,466	1870	6
Nelson	42,891	1874	15
Christchurch	348,435	1868	2
Dunedin	118,683	1865	8
Invercargill	50,328	1991	13

Many cities were reorganised into districts by the Local Government Commission in 1989 under the Local Government Act 1974, for example, Timaru. The most recently proclaimed city is Tauranga, which became a city, for the second time, from 1 March 2004. Another former city is Rotorua. Some present cities, such as Christchurch (1862 and 1868) and Invercargill (1930 and 1991), have been cities more than once.

Under Section 27 of the Local Government Act 2002, a district may become a city by either a reorganisation scheme with the Local Government Commission, or under Section 27(1) it may apply for a change in status under Schedule 3, Clause 7. Either way, the new city must have 'a population of not less than 50,000 persons', be 'predominantly urban' and 'a distinct entity and a major centre of activity within the region' (or regions) which it is encompassed by. Existing cities are grandfathered under Schedule 2, Part 2 of the Act. The only new city council so far under this section is the Tauranga City Council, from 1 March 2004.

Previously, under Section 37L of the Local Government Act 1974, new cities could only be formed from a reorganisation scheme. The same criteria were used. The last city to be constituted under this section was Invercargill, which was re-reorganised into a city in 1991.

In 1991, the Lower Hutt City Council became the Hutt City Council by a special Act of Parliament [1], which specifically did not change the name [2] of its city, Lower Hutt; as a result, the city's coat of arms still refer to a City of Lower Hutt.

Cities during provincialism, 1852 to 1876

During provincialism in New Zealand -- from 1852 until abolition in 1876 -- there was no uniform system of local authorities in New Zealand. There is thus some argument over which of the following cities was the first.

• Nelson (1858, by Letters Patent)
• Christchurch (November 1862, revoked June 1868, both by provincial ordinance and restored October 1868, by Act of Parliament)
• Otago (later Dunedin) (July 1865)

The Municipal Corporations Act 1876 included the first schedule of cities, with the dates they were constituted. Dunedin was the first city in New Zealand to be described in an Act of Parliament as 'City of...', something now automatic under the Local Government Act 2002.

• Dunedin (4 July 1865)
• Christchurch (28 May 1868)
• Wellington (16 September 1870)
• Auckland (24 April 1871)
• Nelson (30 March 1874)

Cities, 1877 to 1989

Up to October 1989, the Local Government Commission undertook a major reorganisation of local government. As a result, some cities were reorganised into other cities or changed to districts, and to this day some of these areas are still considered cities by many New Zealanders. This is a list as at circa 1986.

• North Island
• Whangarei (1964)
• Auckland
• Auckland (1871)
• East Coast Bays
• Takapuna
• Birkenhead
• Waitemata (1974)
• Mt Albert
• Papatoetoe
• Manukau (1965)
• Papakura
• Tamaki
• Hamilton (1936)
• New Plymouth (1949)
• Tauranga (1963)
• Rotorua (1962, merged into Rotorua District, 1979)
• Gisborne (1955)
• Napier (1950)
• Hastings (1956)
• Wanganui (1924)
• Palmerston North (1930)
• Wellington
• Wellington (1870)
• Upper Hutt (1966)
• Lower Hutt (1941)
• Porirua (1965)
• South Island
• Nelson (1874)
• Christchurch (1868)
• Timaru (1948)
• Dunedin (1865)
• Invercargill (1930)

See also

• City status in the United Kingdom
• Territorial Authorities of New Zealand
• List of towns in New Zealand
• List of main streets of New Zealand cities
• List of cities in the Cook Islands
• List of cities in Niue
• List of cities in Tokelau

References

• Gordon McLauchlan (Editor), Illustrated Encyclopedia of New Zealand, The, Auckland: David Bateman, 1989 (second edition) (ISBN 1-86953-007-1) - confirmation, pre-1989 dates

External links

• Statistics New Zealand Subnational Population Estimates
• Tauranga status change, 2003 - specific details
• Local Government (Tauranga City Council) Order 2003 (Governor-General's Order-in-Council, 2 October 2003)
• Local Government Commission press release (PDF)
• Local Government Commission decision full text (PDF)
• Tauranga's city status returns (New Zealand Herald, August 12, 2003)
• Local Government Online Limited site - confirmation, post-1989 council names
• Map

•  • [ e] Territorial Authorities of New Zealand

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