Auckland is a city in the North Island of New Zealand. With an urban population of 1,495,000, Auckland is the most populous urban area in the country. It is part of the wider Auckland Region—the area governed by the Auckland Council—which also includes outlying rural areas and the islands of the Hauraki Gulf, resulting in a total population of 1,614,300. A diverse and multicultural city, Auckland is home to the largest Polynesian population in the world. The Māori language name for Auckland is Tāmaki or Tāmaki-makau-rau, meaning "Tāmaki with a hundred lovers", in reference to the desirability of its fertile land at the hub of waterways in all directions. It has also been called Ākarana, the Māori pronunciation of the English name.