Crown property disposals

The disposals process

The general process for disposing of Crown-owned land follows the 4 steps below. Properties may be disposed of at any stage of the process.

1. Determine if the land is needed for any other public works.
2. Determine if the land needs to be offered back to the person the Crown originally purchased it from, or their successors.
3. Offer the land to Māori under a Treaty settlement. This process is called Right of First Refusal. Alternatively, the Crown may decide to hold the land for a future settlement.
4. Sell the land on the open market.

When a Crown agency wants to dispose of property that it owns, it must follow the requirements of the relevant legislation that applies to that land. This can include the Public Works Act (1981), Land Act (1948) or Treaty of Waitangi settlement legislation. In addition, there may be government policy that needs to be progressed and we work to ensure significant values on the land are protected.

Read more about the protection of values on Crown-owned Land

Our disposals processes include working with Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, Department of Conservation, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, and Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities.

Crown Property Disposals Portal

The Crown Property Disposals Portal is an online system which allows other Crown agencies and iwi to access more detailed information about Crown properties in disposal when the property enters the disposals process.

The portal helps the Crown to identify properties that iwi might be interested in under their Right of First Refusal, or transfer them to the landbank through the Māori Protection Mechanism. Through the portal, registered users can view detailed property information, including photos of the property, maps and locations, land area and any covenants or reports for the property.

The portal is not available to the general public. To gain access, you need a login and verification from us. You can get this by emailing cpdisposalsadmin@linz.govt.nz

Access the Crown Property Disposals Portal

Find out about Rights of First Refusal, and how they fit into the process for disposing of and leasing Crown-owned land.

Right of First Refusal (RFR)