Cadastre 2034

The cadastre is the system used to record and locate boundaries of land.  The use of digital technology in positioning, spatial databases and mobile devices is expected to play a growing and significant role in New Zealand’s future cadastre.

New Zealand’s cadastre is world-class, giving New Zealanders certainty about exactly where their boundaries are when they buy, sell and make use of land.  The cadastre provides a robust foundation for government and private individuals to grow New Zealand’s economy, safeguarding nearly $700 billion in residential property wealth alone.

However society and technology are changing rapidly; people increasingly demand ready access to information – including cadastral information. They want more from the cadastre, and want to integrate cadastral information with other spatially-related information.

The vision of Cadastre 2034 is for a broader cadastral system that enables people to readily and confidently identify the location and extent of all rights, restrictions and responsibilities related to land and real property.

The strategy envisages advances in technology where cadastral information, including in three-dimensional form, is available in real time through channels that meet user needs – including mobile devices that can be used for locating and depicting boundaries on the ground.

Accurate geographical positioning will be available to everyone, and boundaries will be able to be visualised in a form that the layperson can readily understand – including in three-dimensional form and closely related to such things as buildings, buried services, air space, and seabed.

The cadastre needs to develop to keep pace with these demands if it is to continue to be a reliable system of recording rights in land and support crucial economic, cultural and social objectives.

Cadastre 2034 has benefitted from consultation and collaboration with many parties including central government, local government, academia, the business sector, and professional bodies.

What is the cadastre?

The cadastre is the official record of cadastral surveys that define the location of boundaries of land interests under various tenure systems, including freehold, leasehold, Māori and Crown land.  It includes official survey plans, information about boundary marks, survey measurements, and other supporting information provided by surveyors. 

Cadastral surveys are carried out by licensed cadastral surveyors in accordance with standards set by the Surveyor-General and are lodged with Land Information New Zealand for approval.  Once approved, surveys of private land can be used for the issue of new titles.