East Auckland groups 1 local board areas with an estimated 173,200 residents (June 2025). The site does not rank areas; each board lists its strengths and trade-offs.
East Auckland has 1 local board area and 21 neighbourhoods (Stats NZ SA3 areas), with an estimated 173,200 residents (June 2025).
Strengths (from the data)
Safety: 5★ compared with the Auckland average.
Local boards that stand out:
Howick — Safety 5★
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 (153.3 weekday departures per 1,000 residents; Auckland 239.4). 4.6% of commuters use public transport (Auckland 7.8%) — check your own commute time before you decide.
Less park and green space per resident than the Auckland average. Larger parks in the zone are listed below.
Where to start looking, by what matters to you
Most park area: Flat Bush (Howick) — 243.0 ha of parks across 51 parks.
Most public playgrounds: Flat Bush (Howick) — 12 playgrounds.
Most schools: Flat Bush (Howick) — 13 schools, 9,365 students.
Quickest to the city centre by public transport: Pakuranga (Howick) — about 48 min (timetable estimate).
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 3 parks of 50 ha or more. The largest:
Barry Curtis Park97.8 ha · Park / reserve · Howick
Lloyd Elsmore Park75.2 ha · Park / reserve · Howick
Highbrook Park (100R)61.8 ha · Park / reserve · Howick
Point View Reserve38.0 ha · Park / reserve · Howick
Macleans Park33.1 ha · Park / reserve · Howick
Murphys Bush Reserve29.0 ha · Park / reserve · Howick
Park / reserve
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.