North Auckland groups 5 local board areas with an estimated 445,700 residents (June 2025). The site does not rank areas; each board lists its strengths and trade-offs.
North Auckland has 5 local board areas and 66 neighbourhoods (Stats NZ SA3 areas), with an estimated 445,700 residents (June 2025).
Strengths (from the data)
Safety: 5★ compared with the Auckland average.
Parks & green space: 4★ compared with the Auckland average.
Local boards that stand out:
Devonport-Takapuna — Safety 5★
Devonport-Takapuna — Public transport 5★
Hibiscus and Bays — Safety 5★
Kaipātiki — Safety 5★
Rodney — Safety 5★
Rodney — Parks & green space 5★
Upper Harbour — Safety 5★
Upper Harbour — Parks & green space 4★
Upper Harbour — Shops 4★
Rent that goes further
House rents in this zone are at or above the Auckland median ($684 a week, 2026 Q1). The rent table on each local board page shows the typical range.
Things to keep in mind
Fewer public transport departures than average (210.3 weekday departures per 1,000 residents; Auckland 239.4). 8.1% of commuters use public transport (Auckland 7.8%) — check your own commute time before you decide.
Where to start looking, by what matters to you
Most park area: Rodney East (Rodney) — 1,709.0 ha of parks across 35 parks.
Most public playgrounds: Rodney North (Rodney) — 16 playgrounds.
Most schools: Takapuna (Devonport-Takapuna) — 9 schools, 6,356 students.
Quickest to the city centre by public transport: Northcote Point (Auckland) (Kaipātiki) — about 27 min (timetable estimate).
Lowest median house rent within the zone: Kaipātiki — $708 a week.
Best public transport rating in the zone: Devonport-Takapuna — 5★.
These are starting points picked by a single figure each — not a ranking. Neighbourhoods with fewer than 1,000 residents are left out.
Parks and open space
The zone has 17 parks of 50 ha or more. The largest:
Atiu Creek Regional Park843.9 ha · Regional park · Rodney
Tawharanui Regional Park580.5 ha · Regional park · Rodney
Te Arai Regional Park466.6 ha · Regional park · Rodney
Te Muri Regional Park425.9 ha · Regional park · Rodney
Muriwai Regional Park408.5 ha · Regional park · Rodney
Te Haruhi/Shakespear Regional Park374.7 ha · Regional park · Hibiscus and Bays
Featured venues (on park land, but not ordinary public parks):
QBE Stadium26.5 ha · Featured venue · Upper Harbour
Regional parkFeatured venue
Icons are based on the official park name. Park sizes come from Auckland Council Park Extents. Landfills, address-only land and cemeteries are not counted as parks.