New Zealand the United Nations International Telecommunication Union ranks New Zealand 13th in the development of information and communications infrastructure. The 2013 New Zealand census enumerated a resident population of 4,242,048, an increase of 5.3% over the 2006 figure. As of , the total population has risen to an estimated . New Zealand is a predominantly urban country, with % of the population living in the seventeen main urban areas (i.e. population 30,000 or greater) and % living in the four largest cities of Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, and Hamilton. New Zealand cities generally rank highly on international livability measures. For instance, in
Auckland Region Auckland Region The Auckland Region is one of the sixteen regions of New Zealand, named for the city of Auckland, the country's largest urban area. The region encompasses the Auckland metropolitan area, smaller towns, rural areas, and the islands of the Hauraki Gulf. Containing percent of the nation's residents, it has by far the largest population and economy of any region of New Zealand, but the second-smallest land area. On 1 November 2010, the Auckland Region became a unitary authority controlled by the Auckland Council, replacing the previous regional council and seven local councils. In the process, an area in