Best Use of Crown Assets: What Are We Aiming to Achieve in This Area?

LINZ’s outcome in this area is “Crown land is put to the best use for New Zealand”.

All government agencies work to ensure Crown assets are put to their best use. However, LINZ has a central role in managing Crown land in the best interests of New Zealand.

LINZ manages almost three million hectares of Crown land outside of the conservation estate or around 8% of New Zealand’s land area. This includes 1.6 million hectares of high country pastoral land in the South Island, Crown forest land in the North Island, approximately 4,000 properties, and river and lake beds. LINZ also regulates how government agencies acquire, manage and dispose of land under the Public W orks Act 1981, Land Act 1948, and related legislation. This includes LINZ exercising statutory powers and functions.

LINZ is concerned with two contributing outcomes that together ensure the best use of Crown land assets.

Contributing outcomes

Managing Crown land. Crown land managed by LINZ is put to its best use for economic, environmental and social purposes.

Success means:

• decisions about the uses of Crown land managed by LINZ reach an appropriate balance between relevant economic, environmental, and social considerations, and
• Crown land managed by LINZ is properly maintained and protected to ensure its value is maintained and its use enhanced.

Acquiring and disposing of Crown land. The Crown buys and sells property in a way that advances the public interest and protects private rights.

Success means when government agencies acquire or dispose of Crown land:

• the Crown acquisitions of land are justified
• the Crown follows a fair and lawful process in acquiring or taking property
• fair payment is made for the acquisition of land, and
• land is dealt with according to the Crown’s responsibilities when it becomes surplus.