For a detailed history download the LINZ Family Tree 1840–2006:
General information on the history of land administration can be found on the Te Ara Website:
- The Executive Council 1840–1853
- The Provincial Councils 1853–1876
- Department of Lands and Survey 1876–1987 (see also information specific to surveying).
Toitū Te Whenua timeline
The chronology of events leading to the formation of Toitū Te Whenua began in 1987.
1987
The Department of Lands and Survey, which had been in existence for some 100 years, was restructured in April 1987. The Department of Survey and Land Information (DOSLI) was set up to provide government civil and military survey mapping and land information services.
Land development activities were placed with a state-owned enterprise (SOE). Conservation management roles were placed with new departments.
1995
The Land Titles Office was transferred from the Department of Justice to DOSLI.
1996
DOSLI was restructured into Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) and Terralink NZ Ltd on 1 July 1996. LINZ was vested with core government land related regulatory and purchase functions. Terralink NZ Ltd (then an SOE, and now a private company) was vested with the commercial activities.
At the same time the responsibility for hydrographic services was transferred from the Royal New Zealand Navy to LINZ.
1997
Responsibility for managing the technical aspects of New Zealand's legal continental shelf submission was transferred from the Ministry of Commerce to LINZ.
1998
The Valuation Department was restructured and the regulatory functions of the Valuer General were vested with LINZ. The Valuations Department's operational functions were vested with a new SOE, Quotable Value NZ Ltd.
2005
The Overseas Investment Commission, housed at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, became the Overseas Investment Office within the LINZ Regulatory Group.
2021
LINZ decides to lead with its te reo Māori name, Toitū Te Whenua, to reflect its deepening commitment to its partnership with Māori. Toitū Te Whenua means 'the land remains' and is a reminder that the land and our responsibility to care for it is enduring.