New Zealand's cities at a glance
Dots sized by population · Auckland in orange
New Zealand has 1 city with more than a million inhabitants and 6 with more than 100,000 (city-proper figures). The largest is Auckland with 1,547,200 people, followed by Christchurch (419,200) and Wellington (381,900). The three largest cities together hold about 44.3% of the country's 5.3 million people.
The capital, Wellington, is the 3rd largest city with 381,900 people — Auckland is 4.1× larger.
By region, the most large cities are in Canterbury (5), Waikato Region (3), Bay of Plenty (3).
Country-level figures — live population, births and deaths, growth, density and history — are on the New Zealand population page; provinces, terrain, rivers and society maps are in the New Zealand atlas.
New Zealand cities by population
| # | City | Region | Population | Share of New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auckland | Auckland | 1,547,200 | 29.2% |
| 2 | Christchurch | Canterbury | 419,200 | 7.9% |
| 3 | WellingtonCapital | Wellington Region | 381,900 | 7.2% |
| 4 | Hamilton | Waikato Region | 192,100 | 3.6% |
| 5 | Tauranga | Bay of Plenty | 161,000 | 3% |
| 6 | Dunedin | Otago | 132,800 | 2.5% |
| 7 | Palmerston North | Manawatu-Wanganui | 90,500 | 1.7% |
| 8 | New Plymouth | Taranaki Region | 90,100 | 1.7% |
| 9 | Hastings | Hawke's Bay Region | 88,300 | 1.7% |
| 10 | Napier | Hawke's Bay Region | 66,400 | 1.3% |
| 11 | Rotorua | Bay of Plenty | 65,901 | 1.2% |
| 12 | Invercargill | Southland | 58,000 | 1.1% |
| 13 | Nelson | Nelson Region | 54,400 | 1% |
| 14 | Whangarei | Northland | 50,900 | 1% |
| 15 | Whanganui | Manawatu-Wanganui | 49,200 | 0.9% |
| 16 | Gisborne | Gisborne | 38,100 | 0.7% |
| 17 | Rolleston | Canterbury | 34,100 | 0.6% |
| 18 | Blenheim | Marlborough | 29,800 | 0.6% |
| 19 | Timaru | Canterbury | 29,300 | 0.6% |
| 20 | Masterton | Wellington Region | 28,900 | 0.5% |
| 21 | Taupo | Waikato Region | 27,000 | 0.5% |
| 22 | Ashburton | Canterbury | 21,600 | 0.4% |
| 23 | Richmond | Tasman District | 19,950 | 0.4% |
| 24 | Levin | Manawatu-Wanganui | 19,789 | 0.4% |
| 25 | Rangiora | Canterbury | 19,300 | 0.4% |
| 26 | Whakatane | Bay of Plenty | 18,602 | 0.4% |
| 27 | Cambridge | Waikato Region | 15,192 | 0.3% |
Cities with 300,000 or more people link to their own page. The list keeps every city of 100,000+ and at least the 30 largest places of the country.
Frequently asked questions
What is the largest city in New Zealand?
Auckland, with about 1,547,200 inhabitants (city proper). It is larger than the capital, Wellington (381,900).
What is the capital of New Zealand?
Wellington — population 381,900, the 3rd largest city in the country.
How many cities in New Zealand have over one million people?
1: Auckland.
Are these metropolitan-area populations?
No. They are city-proper figures (the administrative city) from GeoNames, based on the latest census or official estimate. Metropolitan areas, which include suburbs and satellite towns, are larger — often several times larger for the biggest cities.
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SamoaCite or link to this page
Glostats. (2026). Largest Cities in New Zealand 2026: Population Ranking. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://glostats.com/cities/new-zealand/<a href="https://glostats.com/cities/new-zealand/">Largest Cities in New Zealand 2026: Population Ranking</a> — GlostatsFigures on this page may be quoted, charted or republished as long as the page is credited with a link. Terms · Download the data as CSV · Embed a live counter.
City populations are GeoNames figures (CC BY 4.0): the latest official census or estimate for the city proper — the municipality, not the wider metropolitan area — so they can differ from "metro area" numbers you see elsewhere. Country populations are live Glostats estimates from the UN World Population Prospects. Page generated 2026-10-20. More about our data.