Published date
Topic
Land registration, Landonline, Survey

Tēnā koe,   

We find ourselves with another bumper issue this month with several important updates ahead of Christmas.  

Last week many of you will have received an email about the recent Survey and Title fees review. The approved 2025 fee changes are now up on the website:  Landonline fees and charges
  
As regulations need to be amended to reflect the fee changes before they can be applied, the implementation date is still to be confirmed. We will provide an update on this before Christmas.

In this edition

Processing times and updates – important information for November and December

Christmas/New Year close-down dates:  

Landonline will close at 10pm Tuesday 24 December 2024 and will remain closed until 6am Friday 3 January 2025.

The processing times published on our website reflect the average time it currently takes us to handle compliant transactions. Transactions which aren’t compliant will always take longer to process.

As we approach the end of the calendar year, we anticipate higher volumes of work and increased urgency requests from our customers. To help manage expectations, we’ve provided guidance on the priority of work and what you can do during this period to help us process work efficiently. 

Survey plans

We prioritise plans linked to a lodged dealing transaction as we have received feedback that these linked transactions are a priority for you and your clients. 

Plans and dealings don’t need to be lodged at the same time, they are automatically identified as being linked upon lodgement and will be prioritised accordingly. This means that plans which are not linked to a lodged dealing may take longer to process than linked plans.  Complex plans will also take longer to process than routine plans, whether linked to a dealing or not. 

While not a definitive list, these are elements that can make a Survey plan complex:

  • Water boundaries
  • Ground Movement
  • Unit titles
  • Limited titles
  • Height Limited

Dealings

We are conscious that customers lodging Titles work are often under pressure. We always endeavour to work with you to ensure that any deadlines can be met, noting that compliant work is always processed more quickly.

To help manage you and your clients’ expectations, the information below gives you an indication of how Titles work is categorised and processed.

CategoryType of workPriority and processing information
Non-New TitleMost commonly Transfers, Caveats, Certificates, Covenants and EasementsWe expect to meet published timeframes for this work.
New TitleThis is a broad category of work ranging from simple 2 lot subdivisions to large and complex multistage unit title developmentsWe prioritise already lodged and in progress work with associated plans approved.
Processing times will increase during peak periods due to volumes. This work is the largest driver of Urgency requests.
ApplicationsAdverse Possession, Accretion, Extinguishment of easements and other similar work that require advertising and/or notice periods.Unless accepted as Urgent, this work will not be prioritised ahead of New Titles work.

How you can help

Things you can do to help us process your work efficiently:

  • Ensure all work is compliant when first lodged. 
  • Lodge work when it is ready and at the earliest possible date. 
  • Plan around our published timeframes.
  • Where a plan and dealing are linked, ensure good communication between the Surveyor and Conveyancer 
  • Read our guidance on lodging Urgency requests, and only lodge a request where you consider that the conditions truly require us to prioritise your client’s work ahead of others who may be in a similar position (Requests to process a transaction with urgency)
  • If lodging an Urgency request, provide specific and relevant information and do not provide information not relevant to the request. Many urgency requests are refused because they lack information like critical dates and specific details about the actual circumstances for the client requiring priority. We do not require documents like sale and purchase agreements to be attached to urgency requests.

Please note, a surveyor or solicitor going on leave in December and January will not in itself be grounds for urgency.

New Landonline benefits survey results

Our regular surveys check how New Landonline is delivering benefits compared to Legacy. Following major releases in September and October, it was a good time to seek feedback. It was also great to hear from Territorial Authorities, which recently started piloting New Landonline. 

The survey ran from October 14 to October 21, and we were delighted to get 615 responses. 

Some key findings

  • 85% of respondents said they are just as productive or more productive using new Landonline compared to Legacy.
  • Most users find New Landonline easier to use and easier for new staff to learn.

This comment received from a Survey customer sums it up very well!

"It's definitely more streamlined, faster processing, better user interface and intuitive modern functionality compared to Legacy. The only other thing that was slowing it down was lack of features, as new updates were - and still are - coming through. So, nothing but good things to say. I'm looking forward to Plan Gen and further tools on Web Search and Plan Gen."

The survey identified areas for future improvements

Survey users:

  • Complete Plan Generation
  • Mark/vector/parcel capture
  • Login issues (time out/process)* See below

Dealings users:

  • Simplify and streamline usability
  • System performance
  • Tax statement and A&I forms
  • Feature or UX enhancements
  • Bug fixes

Web Search users:

  • Easier login process
  • Feature enhancements
  • Spatial/map display enhancements
  • Extending the time-out limit* See below

*Time out limit

The 15-minute inactivity timeout is an important security requirement for protecting web applications and users from various external threats. It’s a critical practice for highly secure systems like Landonline and banking websites to limit session times which reduces the risk of any malicious activity. The time-out limit helps prevent unauthorised access to Landonline. 

A retrospective of the Modernising Landonline programme

The recent Customer Day included facilitated retrospective sessions to learn from the development process of New Landonline with our Land Titles Committee and Survey Working Group.  We are very fortunate to have customers who have participated in these forums for many, many years who we can ask about the process and what we need to consider in the future as we keep Landonline ‘evergreen’. 

Key themes from the session:

Liked:

  • Bringing the whole ecosystem together; surveyors, legal professionals, and LINZ for understanding end-to-end 
  • Seeing functionality in development so tweaks could be made
  • Opportunity to have input into prioritisation for future development

Lacked:

  • Early meetings were less productive as there wasn’t product to show
  • It took a while to get into the rhythm and learn the best time to hold meetings
  • Online meetings felt less productive and engaging than face to face

Learned:

  • People use Landonline in very different ways, reflecting diverse needs across roles
  • Agile working methods were new to most but have proven effective
  • The value of collaboration between surveyors and legal professionals (we need to do more!)

Thoughts for the future

  • Even though updates will be less frequent in the next few years, it’s important to keep collaborating.
  • There is positive value in the relationships built. Ongoing collaboration will provide an opportunity to identify and prioritise new features for Landonline after finishing the legacy system replacement.
  • Meetings need to be purposeful. Only meet when necessary, with clear goals and agendas, and include time for informal discussions.
Customers and LINZ staff in a meeting room, talking and writing notes on boards

Te Kooti Whenua Māori Land Court fully migrated to New Landonline 

The Modernising Landonline programme reached another milestone on 29 October, with all Māori Land Court users now exclusively using New Landonline. This is LINZ’s first customer group, 126 users strong, to make the switch solely onto New Landonline.   

Working collaboratively with the Māori Land Court, we were able to assess which users still required a digital certificate and regular check-ins ensured they had all the functionality they needed to complete their mahi in New Landonline’s Web Search and Dealings applications.  

Depending on your functionality needs, you could make the switch too. To find out more, email us at landonlinefeedback@linz.govt.nz   

Resetting forgotten passwords

Resetting forgotten passwords has been made easier in New Landonline, and users no longer need to set up security questions. 

From 10 November 2024 the Reset Forgotten Password link in the Legacy Landonline login window will be redirected to the equivalent New Landonline functionality .

  • To reset a password using New Landonline, users will need to have already set up multi-factor authentication and have a verified authentication email.

More information can be found here: Forgotten your Landonline password  

Web Search – webinar recording

Web Search now has powerful new functionality. During the webinar on October 15, we demonstrated how to simplify the view to speed up your workflow by expanding review parcel information and overlaying property datasets. 

This webinar was designed for legal professionals and their specific Landonline workflow, but any New Landonline user can watch if you wish to learn more about Web Search. 

Here’s the recording of the webinar, which you are welcome to share:

Visit the self-help guidance hub full of resources and tips and tricks to help optimise your workflow:

Digitally visualised survey plan (DVSP) update

DVSP consultation has now closed, thank you to all those who sent in a submission. You can expect an update early 2025 with a summary of feedback received. You can still play with the prototype and see the timeline for next steps on the website. 

The prototype - Digitally Visualised Survey Plans
Project timeline - Digitally Visualised Survey Plan

Trig beacon removal 

We would like to let Auckland surveyors know that the trig beacon for A5WN MT VICTORIA NO 3 near the tihi / summit of Takarunga / Mount Victoria will be removed as part of upgrade works by the Tūpuna Maunga o Tāmaki Makaurau Authority.   

We will work with the authority to see if any structures could be used as alternative reference objects and will update the geodetic system accordingly.   

The survey marks on the mountain will remain.   

Work at the tihi is expected to start 18 November 2024 and be completed by late January 2025.   

More information on the work can be found here: Takarunga / Mt Victoria tihi (summit) upgrade / Tūpuna Maunga Authority

Requisition notices for Surveyors – change in format

Surveyors may have noticed that some of the Requisition Notices they receive are now in a PDF format rather than RTF. 

We have a small number of internal staff piloting the New Landonline internal survey application.  Requisitions generated from within New Landonline will be in a PDF format as the RTF format is being retired. 

If you do receive a PDF Requisition Notice and wish to respond, you can use ‘Comments’ in Adobe Reader; or open the PDF within MS Word, update it with your response, re-save as a PDF and then attach it in Landonline as a Supporting Document.   

More information on how to do either is on our website here:  On Requisition in My Work page

New Landonline Dealings: new functionality releases 

Check out the recent changes to the Dealings application in October.   

Prepare a Caveat in Simple mode 

You can now prepare standard caveats in Simple mode, being caveats against dealings with land under s138 Land Transfer Act.  
You’ll still need to prepare caveats in Legacy Landonline when: 

  • dealing with only part of the land 
  • special conditions or provisions apply in respect of the caveat 
  • preventing the issue of title and removal of limitations 
  • dealing with a lease, mortgage or other registered instrument. 

For more information:  
About Caveats   
Prepare a caveat in Simple mode   

Prepare a Variation of Mortgage  

You can now prepare all Variation of Mortgage instruments in New Landonline.   
This allows you to vary any of the following terms of a registered mortgage:  

  • the amount or stated priority limit secured by the mortgage 
  • the rate of interest 
  • the term or currency of the mortgage 
  • the covenants, conditions and powers contained or implied in the mortgage.  

For more information:   
Prepare a Variation of Mortgage

Prepare a Change or Correction of Name in Title mode 

You can now prepare a change or correction of name updating a registered owner's name.   

You’ll still need to use Legacy Landonline to change or correct a name for a mortgagee, encumbrancee, lessee or other interest holder.   

Remember to select the right category when using this instrument. Use ‘Change’ for situations such as a marriage, reversion to maiden name or deed poll and ‘Correction’ when correction is needed due to a spelling mistake or omitted middle name.   

For more information:  
Prepare a change or correction of name in Title mode   
Change or Correction of Name, Transmissions, Transfers – what should be used when   

Tips and tricks 

To get the most out of your New Landonline experience see: 
New Landonline Dealings – tips and tricks  

Legal webinar – 19 November

Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand is presenting a livestream webinar in association with the New Zealand Law Society Te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa’s Property Law Section (PLS) and Legal Executives New Zealand (LENZ). 

Robert Metcalf, Deputy Registrar-General of Land, will talk about the updated Authority and Identity Requirements for E-Dealing Standard and Guideline 2024.  The session is aimed at those who are obtaining authority from and confirming the identity of clients, and giving certifications for electronic instruments. 

The aim of the session is to provide information on:

  • lawyers’ certification obligations
  • the key differences between the 2024 Standard and Guideline and the 2018 Standard and Guideline
  • using electronic signatures to sign and witness authority and instruction forms, and
  • using audio-visual technology to confirm the identity of the client.

Details

Date: Tuesday 19 November 2024 
Time: 11 – 12pm (including Q&A session) 

Cost

  • $40 for PLS or LENZ members
  • $50 for non-members
  • $180 group ticket (5 or more)

CPD

This webinar will allow interactive questions and answers and will support up to 1 hour of CPD for lawyers and registered legal executives.   

RSVP

Please RSVP here to reserve your spot. 

Authority and Identity Requirements for E-Dealing Standard and Guideline published

The Registrar-General of Land has published the Authority and Identity Requirements for E-Dealing Standard 2024 – LINZ S 01308 and the Authority and Identity Requirements for E-Dealing Guideline 2024 – LINZ OP G 01309. 

The new guidance sets out practitioners’ certification obligations and how to satisfy the requirements for client authority, legal capacity, and confirmation of identity. 

The standard and guideline came into force on 23 October 2024. 
Authority and Identity Requirements for E-Dealing Standard 2024 – LINZ S 01308
Authority and Identity Requirements for E-Dealing Guideline 2024 – LINZ OP G 01309

We carefully considered all the feedback and submissions we received during the consultation process. A summary of the submissions and our responses to them can be found on the Consultation page. 
Consultations page

Please note, New Landonline A&I forms have been updated to reflect the new guidance. Legacy Landonline A&I forms were updated as part of Landonline release 3.32 on 11 November.

Unit Titles Act 2010 Guideline 2024 published

The Registrar-General of Land has published the Unit Titles Act 2010 Guideline 2024 – LINZ OP G 01310.   

The guideline explains how matters involving unit title developments may be prepared, registered, and recorded in accordance with the requirements of the Unit Titles Act 2010. 

Unit Titles Act 2010 Guideline 2024 – LINZ OP G 01310 | Toitū Te Whenua - Land Information New Zealand

Release of statutory land charges

There have been a number of cases where the incorrect Landonline instrument code was used when lodging a release of statutory land charge. 

For release by a chargeholder, the code DSLC or PSLC must be used. For an application under section 120(3) of the Land Transfer Act 2017 by the registered owner, the code is A120. It is important the correct code is selected. 

We have updated our guidance on this to assist. 
Statutory land charges

Join your colleagues in switching to the new Territorial Authority (TA) Certification application

We’ve had a fantastic response from Territorial Authorities re switching across to the TA Certification app in new Landonline, with one of our newer users saying, “I’m a big fan of this new Landonline system, so well done to you and the team.” 

Around 76% of the TAs across the motu are already using or intending to use the new application to prepare, certify and sign their 223/224 subdivisional certificates.  For the week ending 11 November 54% of certificates were signed in New Landonline. 

Starting now will allow plenty of time to become familiar with the new application before we begin to decommission the current (Legacy) Landonline in February/March 2025.   

For those who have yet to make the switch, our website has information to help you get started: Transitioning to New Landonline – TA Certification.

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Email: media@linz.govt.nz