Summer services update
Toitū Te Whenua holds digital copies of title and survey land records in our Landonline database. You can access most of these records through our Land Record Search tool.
With Land Record Search you can view or order PDF copies of records for $6.
Before you start
Before you start your search:
- gather information such as address, title reference, survey plan reference
- have a credit or debit card and email address handy
- review what records Toitū Te Whenua holds.
Land records held by Toitū Te Whenua
How to use Land Record Search
You can search for a digital land record inside Land Record Search using:
- our map
- an address
- a title, instrument or survey number.
Find detailed instructions for searching:
Search for records using Land Record Search
Records can't be found in Land Record Search
If you can't find digital records in Land Record Search the record may be:
- not held by Toitū Te Whenua
- protected under the Land Transfer Act 2017
- not digitalised, or too fragile or large to be digitalised.
You may be able to order a manual search for a record or view original paper records.
Other sources of digital records
You can find digital land records from other agencies, such as city councils, the Māori Land court and Archives New Zealand.
Guidance for searching for records
Many historic and genealogy organisations publish guidance on how to search for land records.
The New Zealand Society of Genealogists website, for example, includes a link to ‘Where did my ancestors live?’ by Ron Hermon. This has a researcher’s guide to the land records held by Toitū Te Whenua.
New Zealand Society of Genealogists website - written presentations
Land professionals
You can hire a land professional, such as a lawyer or conveyancy professional to help you find a digital land record.
Land professionals have direct access to Toitū Te Whenua’s Landonline database, which holds property details like location and ownership.
They also understand how land records are structured, including in the historic systems.