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 City islands were part of Auckland City. Such islands of the inner gulf included Rangitoto, Motutapu, Browns Island, Motuihe, Rakino, Ponui and Waiheke, while the outer gulf islands included Little Barrier Island, Great Barrier and the Mokohinau Islands. In November 1989, central government restructured local authorities throughout New Zealand. After substantial protests and legal challenges, Auckland City was merged with eight smaller local authorities to form a new Auckland City Council. The new Auckland City had double the population of the old. However, amalgamation, forced onto local authorities often against their will, was criticised to have led to less democracy and