Commuting patterns in Wellington Highlights In 2006, 1 of 10 employed people in New Zealand worked in one of the four cities of the Wellington region (Porirua, Upper Hutt, Lower Hutt, and Wellington), a ratio largely unchanged since 1996. Wellington city dominates employment within the region. One-third of the more than 5,000 employed population of Kapiti Coast district said they worked in one of the four cities of the Wellington region. The highest proportion of workers who lived outside of the four cities of the Wellington region but gave a workplace address there, were engaged in the property and business services (19 percent), and government administration and defence (14 percent) industries. Introduction Together, the four cities of the Wellington region (Porirua, Upper Hutt, Lower Hutt, and Wellington) make up the second largest urban conglomeration in New Zealand, with a combined population of just over 364,000 people in 2006. In the, a total of 171,600 people (or 10 percent of the national employed population) gave a workplace address in one of these four cities. Wellington s four cities, like the Auckland metropolis, dominated employment within the surrounding region (85 percent of employed people within the Wellington region had a workplace address in one of its four cities). In comparison, 81 percent of the usually resident population in the region lived in one of its four cities. The four cities of the Wellington region are similar to those of the Auckland metropolis as they are geographically close and have enmeshed labour markets. 1
Figure 1 Wellington city dominates employment within the region and is similar to Auckland city in this regard. There is a high proportion of commuting between cities, although Wellington city itself has the greatest labour market pull on the surrounding cities, and relatively few people in Wellington city commute to other cities within the region. As a result, it has the highest proportion of workers to usual residents. There were approximately two usual residents for each person that gave an employment address in Wellington city, compared with a ratio of 1 in 4 in Porirua city. Table 1 Population with a Workplace Address in the Wellington Region Usually resident in Wellington region, by commuting destination Usual residence Kapiti Coast District Porirua City Commuting destination (workplace address) Upper Hutt City Lower Hutt City Wellington City Total four Masterto cities of n District Wellington Carterton District South Wairarapa District Kapiti Coast District 10,490 880 170 760 3,770 5,580 20 10 20 Porirua City 260 7,780 300 1,450 8,190 17,720 20 10 10 Upper Hutt City 50 400 7,320 4,050 3,990 15,760 40 10 20 Lower Hutt City 110 680 1,490 24,600 13,520 40,280 70 50 50 Wellington City 280 2,620 630 5,260 79,150 87,660 170 100 80 Total four cities of 690 11,480 9,740 35,350 104,860 161,420 310 170 170 Wellington Masterton District 10 10 40 90 210 350 7,580 680 210 Carterton District..C..C 40 80 200 330 820 1,600 260 South Wairarapa District..C 20 90 160 450 720 330 170 2,490 Labour market areas and employment density As figure 2 shows, the commuting zone centred on Lambton Quay extends well beyond the boundaries of Wellington s four cities and takes in the Kapiti Coast district. In Wellington city, employment was concentrated in the central business district with Lambton Quay as the major employment hub. 2
Figure 2 Local Commuting Areas in the Wellington Region Note: Zones were derived using primary linkage analysis to summarise area unit travel-to-work data. The main focus part of each zone is represented as a red dot with its size proportional to the total commuter inflow to the zone. Zone names are derived from the area unit that forms the focus point. The colours demarcate the boundaries of the commuting zones. Lambton Quay had the highest employed population of any area unit in New Zealand, with over 38,000 people specifying a workplace address there in 2006. Willis Street Cambridge Terrace and Thorndorn Tinakori roads also attracted large numbers of workers. 3
Figure 3 Employment Density in Wellington City 4
In contrast, employment densities were lower in the cities of Porirua, Lower Hutt, and Upper Hutt. Hutt Central was the largest employment hub among these areas. Figure 4 Employment Density in Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt Cities 5
Figure 5 Employment Density in Porirua City 6
Figure 6 Commuters to the Wellington Metropolis day Source: Commuterview New Zealand, of Population and Dwellings 7
Data from the showed that of those who specified their workplace address, over 100 people from 12 territorial authorities outside Wellington region stated they worked at either Porirua, Upper Hutt, Lower Hutt, or Wellington city. Most of these territorial authorities were geographically close to the Wellington region, with the exception of the Auckland metropolis (800 people from the 12 territorial authorities outside Wellington stated they worked in the Auckland metropolis), and Christchurch and Dunedin (260 and 120 people, respectively). This number increased slightly since 1996. Kapiti Coast district was the major source of the commuter population to Wellington, with over 5,000 people. Most of this growth occurred between 1996 and 2001, with a much smaller increase (numbers coming from Masterton have declined) between 2001 and 2006. Figure 7 Commuting from surrounding urban and rural areas Wellington exerts considerable influence on surrounding urban communities, with over one-third of the employed population in Featherston and Kapiti working in Wellington s four cities. Majority of these commuters stated a workplace address in Wellington city. Just under 3,000 people from rural areas listed a workplace address in one of the four cities of Wellington. 8
Table 2 Employed Population That Gave a Workplace Address in the Wellington Metropolis Usually resident in other urban centres Usual residence Percent of employed population Numbers Kapiti 36 4,940 Levin 3 210 Masterton 4 300 Waiouru 4 30 Foxton Community 1 20 Shannon 2 10 Otaki 12 210 Carterton 13 200 Greytown 17 140 Featherston 36 300 Martinborough 14 80 Source: Census of Population and Dwellings, 2006. Wellington s four cities (particularly Wellington city) employed a substantial number of people from surrounding local authorities. There is also the presence of a small labour market that operates between Auckland, Christchurch, and Dunedin. These workers were largely engaged in the government administration and defence, and property and business services industries. Figure 8 Wellington is also notable because of the location of government in Wellington city. In 2006, 1 in 10 employed people in New Zealand gave a workplace address in one of the four cities of the Wellington region. Wellington city was the dominant employment destination, with a strong concentration in the central city, particularly within the area unit of Lambton Quay. 9