Auckland is the largest city and chief port of New Zealand and is located in the north central part of the North Island. The seaport city is situated on a plateaulike isthmus marked by hills, with Manukau Harbor on the south and Waitemata Harbor on the north. Auckland has a population of 396,000 (2006) that is increasingly of Asian origin; by 1998 nearly 10% of its inhabitants were of Asian descent. The metropolitan-area population is 1,208,091 (2006). The central business district is near the commercial docks; factories are in separate areas surrounding the city.

Auckland being the largest city of New Zealand is the major industries include heavy engineering and the manufacture of consumer goods. Also important is the trade and export of dairy and lamb products of the region's farming areas. Prominent institutions include the University of Auckland (1882), Auckland University of Technology (1895), and the City Art Gallery (1888). The Auckland Museum, located in an extinct volcanic cone, houses an important collection of Maori art and artifacts.