Information about applications and consents
Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand manages approximately 1.2 million hectares of Crown pastoral land in the South Island high country, including 156 pastoral leases, on behalf of the Crown.
Written consent is required from the Commissioner of Crown Lands or their delegates, prior to undertaking some activities on a Crown pastoral lease ('discretionary activities').
A new consents regime came into effect on 17 November 2022 to support the implementation of the reforms to the Crown Pastoral Land Act. The changes introduced in November are intended to enable greater protection of the inherent values of this iconic land and provide increased transparency of how it is being managed.
Information on applying for activity on Crown pastoral land
Leaseholders of Crown pastoral land can apply to carry out a range of activities. These are divided into 'discretionary' activities, which are pastoral activities that require written consent, and 'permitted' activities, which do not require written consent.
Leaseholders are provided a Notice of Decision once the Commissioner of Crown Lands or the delegated decision maker has considered an application.
Read our information for leaseholders
Application decision summaries
Summaries of Crown pastoral land application decisions are available on our Decisions page:
Crown pastoral land application data
We publish a monthly snapshot of data relating to applications for discretionary activities on Crown pastoral land, and other applications like recreation permits, transfers and subleases, and easements.
In the lead-up to Crown Pastoral Land Act reforms in November 2022, we received an expected increase in the number of applications of activity from leaseholders. We are prioritising applications based on urgency, complexity of activity and where they require lease visits or extra technical support.
Applications received prior to 17 November 2022 are being processed according the previous regime, under the Crown Pastoral Land Act 1998 and Land Act 1948, and those received from 17 November 2022 are being processed according to the new regime, under the Crown Pastoral Land Reform Act 2022.
Our pastoral specialists are continuing with planned lease inspections and administering the pastoral estate. If an application has been received, they will be processed as part of their inspection.
Crown pastoral land activity – data snapshots
Snapshot of Crown pastoral land activity data as at 31 October 2024.
Crown pastoral land activity applications received before 17 November 2022
Applications processed under the Crown Pastoral Land Act 1998 and Land Act 1948:
| Application status | Total |
|---|---|
| Received † | 428 |
| Active ҂ | 192 |
| Complete | 195 |
| Withdrawn* / written approval not needed | 41 |
† Updated October 2024: The total number of applications received has been updated following assessment (for example, where multiple consent applications are sought in a single application).
҂ Active applications include all applications yet to be classified, under assessment, or that have gone to a rehearing.
* Applications have been withdrawn in consultation with Applicants. This may be because they are now permitted activities from 17 November 2022, the activity is already provided for under an existing consent, or the Applicant considers the activity is no longer required.
Of those completed:
| Application outcome | Total |
|---|---|
| Granted | 71% |
| Granted in part | 24% |
| Declined | 5% |
Activity breakdown of active applications received before 17 November 2022
Crown pastoral land activity applications received from 17 November 2022
Applications processed under the Crown Pastoral Land Reform Act 2022
| Application status | Total |
|---|---|
| Received | 94 |
| Active ҂ | 36 |
| Complete | 50 |
| Withdrawn* / written approval not needed | 8 |
Activity breakdown of all applications received from 17 November 2022
| Application Type | Total |
|---|---|
| Commercial Recreation Permit | 48 |
| Transfer and Subleases | 16 |
| Easement | 10 |
| Discretionary Pastoral Activity | 20 |
Of those completed:
| Application status | Total |
|---|---|
| Granted | 98% |
| Granted in part | N/A |
| Declined | 2% |