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I am currently looking at a trading in my 1996 Nissan Sentra, which isn't as suited to our needs anymore. My partner and I do about 25,000kms a year of open road driving, some of this is on ski roads and gravel roads. We also use the car as our main mode of transport to get around Auckland, but would only use it once or twice a week. We have been looking for something that is 2.0litre, 4door/hatchback, 4wd (optional, but would be beneficial), which has good boot space but is still small enough to manoeuvre around the city, into small car parks etc. I recently borrowed a family member's Toyota Avensis and found it too big for Auckland city driving/my preference. We have currently settled on a 2007 Subaru Impreza, which seems to fit the bill, but are also considering a Mazda 3/Axela or a Toyato Allex Runx. Are there any other cars that you would suggest for our specification or could you give advice on the benefits or potential downfalls on the suggested models?

OK, so you've narrowed down the size of car that will suit your needs and have made some good selections.
Each of these three has it's own strengths and benefits over the others, and I think either would do the job you require, so it comes down to the finer points that would meet your own preference.
The Impreza is a great car dynamically, and being AWD would perform the snow and gravel task the best. However, it is likely to use a little more fuel and be slightly heavier on maintenance than the other two.
The Corolla/Allex/Runx has a reputation for bullet-proof reliability and is likely to be the cheapest to run and maintain and is probably the "sensible" choice. However, it's also a little bland compared with the other two.
The Mazda3/Axela has a great chassis and is a good driver's car. Maintenance shouldn't be too high and it has a good reputation for reliability. It's an attractive package and is probably the mid-way choice, offering a good compromise between the conservative Toyota and the more flamboyant Subaru.
Ultimately, the choice is yours and whichever way you go, you won't be making a bad choice.
You've selected three good models and I don't see the need to confuse the issue by adding others into the mix.