Zealancer study: Where the freelancers are located in New Zealand
Zealancer´s latest study has compared the numbers of freelancers who live in different regions of New Zealand. New Zealand is divided into sixteen regions (Ngā takiwā) for local government purposes (see number 1 to 16 in the table below).
Based on our own database of freelancers listed on Zealancer.nz, we have analysed where the different freelancers are located and compared the results in order to find the highest density ratio.
Number | Region | Population | Population Percentage | Freelancer Percentage | Relative Freelancer Density | |
1 | NorthlandTe Tai Tokerau | 185.800 | 3.8% | 3.0% | 0.78 | |
2 | AucklandTāmaki-makau-rau | 1.654.800 | 33.8% | 58.3% | 1.73 | |
3 | Waikato | 475.600 | 9.7% | 5.9% | 0.61 | |
4 | Bay of PlentyTe Moana-a-Toi | 320.800 | 6.5% | 5.2% | 0.79 | |
5 | GisborneTe Tai Rāwhiti | 49.500 | 1.0% | 0.4% | 0.37 | |
6 | Hawke´s BayTe Matau-a-Māui | 172.400 | 3.5% | 1.5% | 0.42 | |
7 | Taranaki | 121.200 | 2.5% | 1.1% | 0.45 | |
8 | Manawatū- Whanganui | 247.500 | 5.1% | 1.8% | 0.37 | |
9 | WellingtonTe Whanga-nui-a-Tara | 525.900 | 10.7% | 10.7% | 1.00 | |
10 | TasmanTe Tai-o-Aorere | 54.000 | 1.1% | 0.7% | 0.67 | |
11 | NelsonWhakatū | 52.700 | 1.1% | 0.4% | 0.34 | |
12 | MarlboroughTe Tauihu-o-te-waka | 48.700 | 1.0% | 1.1% | 1.11 | |
13 | West CoastTe Tai Poutini | 32.500 | 0.7% | 0.4% | 0.56 | |
14 | CanterburyWaitaha | 622.800 | 12.7% | 6.3% | 0.49 | |
15 | OtagoŌtākou | 235.000 | 4.8% | 3.0% | 0.62 | |
16 | SouthlandMurihiku | 100.500 | 2.1% | 0.4% | 0.18 | |
- | New Zealand (Total)Aotearoa | 4.899.700 | 100% | 100% | 1.00 |
As our analysis shows the Auckland region has the highest density ratio to find a freelancer in the comparison between the other regions. Wellington stays on the second place with 10 per cent which is two times more than the Bay of Plenty region while the Canterbury region comes in at third place.
Most of the freelancers are located in Auckland’s CBD. It is not very surprising as the population of the Auckland region exceeds 1.5 million. One of the reasons the freelancing population is so high in Auckland could be correlated to the number of universities in this region. On the other hand, it is very surprising to see that the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions are in the 4th and 5th place despite their population which is not more than half a million.
There might be additional reasons why most freelancers are located in the Auckland region and the least in the West Coast. For instance, broadband speed and cost, availability of freelancing jobs and coworking spaces may contribute to many freelance Kiwis choosing to reside in Auckland.
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This article was published in the Zealancer-News 68.