List of New Zealand urban areas by population

This article lists urban areas of New Zealand—as defined by Statistics New Zealand—ranked by population.

There are two definitions (standards) of New Zealand urban areas: New Zealand Standard Areas Classification 1992 (NZSAC92) and the newer Statistical Standard for Geographic Areas 2018 (SSGA18). The figures for NZSAC92 are as of June 2018, and the figures for SSGA18 are as of June 2023. Only urban areas with a population of at least 2,000 are listed.

Per New Zealand Standard Areas Classification 1992 (NZSAC92)

Per Statistical Standard for Geographic Areas 2018 (SSGA18)

Rank Name Region Population 1 Auckland Auckland 1,570,100 2 Wellington Wellington 418,500 3 Christchurch Canterbury 404,500 4 Hamilton Waikato 241,200 5 Tauranga Bay of Plenty 141,600 6 Napier-Hastings Hawke's Bay 134,500 7 Dunedin Otago 122,000 8 Palmerston North Manawatū-Whanganui 86,600 9 Nelson Nelson 67,500 10 Rotorua Bay of Plenty 59,500 11 Whangārei Northland 58,700 12 New Plymouth Taranaki 58,300 13 Invercargill Southland 51,200 14 Kapiti Wellington 42,700 15 Whanganui Manawatū-Whanganui 40,900 16 Gisborne Gisborne 37,200 17 Blenheim Marlborough 31,600 18 Pukekohe Auckland 31,400 19 Timaru Canterbury 29,100 20 Taupō Waikato 24,700 21 Masterton Wellington 22,200 22 Levin Manawatū-Whanganui 21,200 23 Ashburton Canterbury 20,200 24 Whakatāne Bay of Plenty 19,750 25 Rangiora Canterbury 18,300 26 Feilding Manawatū-Whanganui 16,850 27 Rolleston Canterbury 16,250 28 Queenstown Otago 15,850 29 Tokoroa Waikato 14,050 30 Oamaru Otago 13,950 31 Hāwera Taranaki 12,150 32 Gore Southland 9,910 33 Waiuku Auckland 9,780 34 Waiheke Island Auckland 9,770 35 Greymouth West Coast 9,700 36 Wanaka Otago 8,890 37 Motueka Tasman 8,450 38 Te Puke Bay of Plenty 8,350 39 Huntly Waikato 8,150 40 Matamata Waikato 7,920 41 Morrinsville Waikato 7,870 42 Kerikeri Northland 7,520 43 Thames Waikato 7,350 44 Kawerau Bay of Plenty 7,080 45 Waitara Taranaki 7,040 46 Ōtaki Wellington 6,410 47 Lincoln Canterbury 6,100 48 Kaitaia Northland 5,860 49 Stratford Taranaki 5,740 50 Alexandra Otago 5,510 51 Dannevirke Manawatū-Whanganui 5,360 52 Carterton Wellington 5,320 53 Dargaville Northland 5,180 54 Cromwell Otago 5,160 55 Waihi Waikato 5,150 56 Whitianga Waikato 5,080 57 Snells Beach Auckland 5,040 58 Marton Manawatū-Whanganui 4,950 59 Warkworth Auckland 4,890 60= Foxton Manawatū-Whanganui 4,720 60= Taumarunui Manawatū-Whanganui 4,720 62 Katikati Bay of Plenty 4,710 63 Te Kuiti Waikato 4,640 64 Kaikohe Northland 4,560 65 Paeroa Waikato 4,410 66 Temuka Canterbury 4,370 67= Picton Marlborough 4,350 67= Te Aroha Waikato 4,350 69 Ōpōtiki Bay of Plenty 4,320 70 Wairoa Hawkes Bay 4,290 71 Waipukurau Hawkes Bay 4,220 72 Putāruru Waikato 4,100 73 Balclutha Otago 3,990 74= Westport West Coast 3,960 74= Whangamatā Waikato 3,960 76 Inglewood Taranaki 3,630 77 Hokitika West Coast 3,590 78 Turangi Waikato 3,320 79 Raglan Waikato 3,310 80 Helensville Auckland 3,150 81 Woodend Canterbury 3,110 82 Arrowtown Otago 2,950 83 Waimate Canterbury 2,890 84 Otorohanga Waikato 2,750 85 Pahiatua Manawatū-Whanganui 2,570 86 Geraldine Canterbury 2,500 87 Featherston Wellington 2,480 88 Greytown Wellington 2,380 89 Winton Southland 2,370 90 Wakefield Tasman 2,360 91 Mapua Tasman 2,270 92 Darfield Canterbury 2,230 93 Waihi Beach Bay of Plenty 2,220 94 Oxford Canterbury 2,170 95 Waipawa Hawkes Bay 2,160 96 Kaikōura Canterbury 2,150 97 Te Anau Southland 2,140 98 Wellsford Auckland 2,100 99 Eltham Taranaki 2,070 100 Taipa Bay-Mangonui Northland 2,050 101 Brightwater Tasman 2,040 102 Paihia Northland 2,010

Rank Name Region Population 1 Auckland Auckland 1,478,800 2 Christchurch Canterbury 384,800 3 Wellington Wellington 215,200 4 Hamilton Waikato 185,300 5 Tauranga Bay of Plenty 161,800 6 Lower Hutt Wellington 113,000 7 Dunedin Otago 106,200 8 Palmerston North Manawatū-Whanganui 82,500 9 Napier Hawke's Bay 67,500 10 Porirua Wellington 60,900 11 New Plymouth Taranaki 59,600 12 Rotorua Bay of Plenty 58,900 13 Whangārei Northland 56,900 14 Hibiscus Coast Auckland 63,400 15 Nelson Nelson 51,900 16 Invercargill Southland 51,000 17 Hastings Hawke's Bay 51,500 18 Upper Hutt Wellington 45,400 19 Whanganui Manawatū-Whanganui 42,800 20 Gisborne Gisborne 38,200 21 Paraparaumu Wellington 30,800 22 Timaru Canterbury 28,900 23 Blenheim Marlborough 30,500 24 Pukekohe Auckland 27,400 25 Taupō Waikato 26,500 26 Masterton Wellington 22,600 27 Ashburton Canterbury 20,800 28 Cambridge Waikato 21,800 29 Rangiora Canterbury 19,600 30 Levin Manawatū-Whanganui 19,800 31 Feilding Manawatū-Whanganui 17,750 32 Rolleston Canterbury 29,600 33 Whakatāne Bay of Plenty 16,850 34 Queenstown Otago 29,000 35 Richmond Tasman 19,200 36 Havelock North Hawke's Bay 15,200 37 Tokoroa Waikato 14,500 38 Mosgiel Otago 14,800 39 Oamaru Otago 14,000 40 Te Awamutu Waikato 14,000 41 Waikanae Wellington 13,150 42 Kaiapoi Canterbury 13,600 43 Hāwera Taranaki 10,350 44 Waiuku Auckland 9,800 45 Wanaka Otago 12,400 46 Waiheke West Auckland 8,270 47 Te Puke Bay of Plenty 10,250 48 Greymouth West Coast 8,340 49 Huntly Waikato 8,880 50 Gore Southland 8,240 51 Motueka Tasman 8,320 52 Matamata Waikato 9,130 53 Morrinsville Waikato 8,960 54 Thames Waikato 7,630 55 Kawerau Bay of Plenty 7,820 56 Waitara Taranaki 7,550 57 Kerikeri Northland 8,270 58 Ngāruawāhia Waikato 8,170 59 Lincoln Canterbury 10,250 60 Kaitaia Northland 6,390 61 Beachlands-Pine Harbour Auckland 7,770 62 Stratford Taranaki 6,320 63 Alexandra Otago 6,120 64 Cromwell Otago 7,160 65 Dannevirke Manawatū-Whanganui 5,640 66 Carterton Wellington 5,960 67 Warkworth Auckland 6,730 68 Waihi Waikato 5,870 69 Marton Manawatū-Whanganui 5,590 70 Dargaville Northland 5,130 71 Whitianga Waikato 6,440 72 Tuakau Waikato 6,030 73 Ngongotahā Bay of Plenty 5,230 74 Katikati Bay of Plenty 5,800 75 Te Kuiti Waikato 4,680 76= Taumarunui Manawatū-Whanganui 4,800 76= Westport West Coast 4,250 78 Temuka Canterbury 4,680 79 Ōpōtiki Bay of Plenty 5,350 80= Kaikohe Northland 4,980 80= Ōtaki Wellington 5,300 82 Te Aroha Waikato 4,670 83 Waipukurau Hawkes Bay 4,750 84 Prebbleton Canterbury 5,280 85 Wairoa Hawkes Bay 5,020 86= Paeroa Waikato 4,640 86= Picton Marlborough 4,880 88 Putāruru Waikato 4,600 89= Whangamatā Waikato 4,500 89= Balclutha Otago 4,340 91 Lake Hayes Otago 92 Inglewood Taranaki 3,870 93 Snells Beach Auckland 3,810 94 Waimate Canterbury 3,590 95 Turangi Waikato 3,840 96 Raglan Waikato 3,880 97 Ōhope Bay of Plenty 3,270 98 Helensville Auckland 3,330 99 Foxton Manawatū-Whanganui 3,380 100 Woodend Canterbury 4,550 101 Hokitika West Coast 3,120 102 Lyttelton Canterbury 3,180 103 Ashhurst Manawatū-Whanganui 3,350 104 Arrowtown Otago 3,060 105 Darfield Canterbury 3,150 106 Otorohanga Waikato 3,320 107 Omokoroa Bay of Plenty 4,770 108 Kihikihi Waikato 3,390 109 Kumeū-Huapai Auckland 6,930 110 Geraldine Canterbury 2,970 111 Wakefield Tasman 2,680 112 Pahiatua Manawatū-Whanganui 2,840 113 Renwick Marlborough 2,630 114 Featherston Wellington 2,780 115 Greytown Wellington 2,800 116 Winton Southland 2,460 117 Ruakākā Northland 2,930 118 Maraetai Auckland 2,580 119 Te Anau Southland 3,060 120= Clive Hawkes Bay 2,090 120= Kaikōura Canterbury 2,360 122 Oxford Canterbury 2,380 123= Pōkeno Waikato 6,370 123= Waipawa Hawkes Bay 2,400 125 Wellsford Auckland 2,280 126= Milton Otago 2,240 126= Waihi Beach Bay of Plenty 128 Brightwater Tasman 2,370 129 Pegasus Canterbury 4,180 130 Leeston Canterbury 2,430 131 West Melton Canterbury 2,450 132 One Tree Point Northland 3,070 133 Riverhead Auckland 3,770

See also

• List of cities in New Zealand
• List of towns in New Zealand