Auckland's Key Sector Industries
Strong key sectors
Auckland is the largest employment centre in the country and acts as a hub for employment in insurance and finance, legal services, recruitment consultancies as well as higher education. Auckland is New Zealand's most important centre for bio industries, ICT and creative industries.
Finance and Professional services
Underpinning the CBD is the finance and professional services sector employing over 38,000 people across the city. Auckland city has the vast majority of regional employment in this sector and about a third of all national employment. As can be expected, this sector employs some of the most qualified and skilled of the workforce. Many high profile, international companies have chosen to make Auckland their home and are thriving within its highly effective business community.
Case study: Frost & Sullivan Ltd
Creative industries
With its wealth of talented and highly creative people and businesses, without a doubt Auckland is the home of New Zealand's creative industries. 39 per cent of the country's creative sector workforce is working in the city, and the Auckland region has half of the nation's creative sector jobs. Growth in the country's creative sector employment has primarily been concentrated in Auckland city.
Besides enriching the cultural and social landscape of the city and nation, Auckland city's creative industries make a vital economic contribution - as a high value-add sector in itself, as well as being a key enabler of business across sectors. The creative sector's stand-alone contribution to Auckland city's GDP is estimated at 7 per cent of the city's total GDP.
Creative sector employment in Auckland city is concentrated in the sub-sectors of design, screen production and radio, as well as publishing. The creative industries in Auckland also include music, performing and visual arts, crafts and photography.
Information and Communication technologies
Auckland takes the lion’s share of ICT jobs and businesses with 40 per cent of New Zealand’s ICT employment. Employment growth between 2001 and 2007 totalled 20 per cent.
Auckland has IT service, support and software development strengths that cover sub sectors such as electronic payments, health IT, wireless technologies and transport and logistics. The software development strengths offer significant opportunities for research, development and commercial collaboration. The sector has entrepreneurial growth, and is increasingly export orientated.
Case studies: Orion Health Ltd, Datacom Ltd, Next Space Ltd, The University of Auckland's Centre for Software Innovation
Bio industries
Auckland is the centre of the New Zealand bio industry with 42 per cent of New Zealand’s core bio industries companies being located here. In 2006, the Auckland region employed more than 3000 people in the sector. The city supports an innovative research community known for its excellence in biotechnology, health and medicine. It includes The University of Auckland, AUT University and Crown Research Institutes.
The city is strong in the human health sector with commercial success and a strong industry body, NZBio/Auckland. Auckland City Council is a committed supporter of NZBIO/Auckland and a promoter of businesses and research bodies that work to make life better for everyone.
Auckland has many young vibrant bio industry companies, many originating out of the IP generated from the universities. The University of Auckland is especially strong with a bio industry cluster emerging on campus housing start up companies, research initiatives and clinical trials.
Case studies: Living Cell Technologies Ltd, CoDa Therapeutics Ltd, Pacific Channel Ltd, The University of Auckland's Institute for Innovation in Biotechnology
Sources:
Statistics New Zealand.
NZBio Growth Measurement Framework Review 2006.