Strategic goals

LINZ seeks to achieve our first three outcomes by focusing on four strategic goals: 'land market leadership', 'optimal regulation', 'e-delivery excellence' and 'expert decision-making'. Two further strategic goals, 'co-ordinated all-of-government approach' and 'co-production between public and private sector to deliver public value', will enable achievement of our fourth end outcome over time.

Land market leadership

LINZ is in a unique position to provide advice and leadership across government on land-related matters. This goal means that, where possible, LINZ capitalises on our land information, knowledge and expertise to help achieve cross-government policy and broader land market outcomes, as well as undertaking our core functions.

Working with key industry stakeholders, as well as other agencies, is a core component to achieving this goal, as is the ability to identify and respond to emerging issues. This requires adaptability and innovation in the way we approach opportunities to utilise our information. For example, in the area of hydrographic and bathymetric surveys, LINZ has led the co-ordination of the Ocean Survey 20/20 programme for the past three years.

Optimal regulation

'Optimal regulation' can be separated into two key strands: outcome-focused intervention and industry self-compliance.

The objective for outcome-focused intervention is two-fold. First, there must be a clear rationale for intervention, and the intervention needs to be aligned to risk. Second, the intervention needs to be performancebased, providing scope for greater ability to comply.

The objective for industry self-compliance is to assure compliance with regulations and rules through greater reliance on the quality of the systems and controls put in place by providers, rather than through detailed prescription and supervision by LINZ.

In moving toward self-compliance, LINZ's assurance focus has moved away from random sampling to consideration of the quality of systems and controls. For example, during the last 18 months, this approach has been implemented in the survey and conveyancing sectors with the support of the New Zealand Institute of Surveyors and the New Zealand Law Society. As a result, there is a demonstrable improvement in providers taking accountability for the quality of their work.

Now, our focus will be to:

• increase the use of processes and controls for assurance in all areas of regulatory compliance
• gather and use information in a more constructive manner so we identify potential non-compliant trends and issues before they become a problem, and
• continue to educate providers on the benefits of good quality systems and controls.

e-delivery excellence

e-delivery enables access to information more easily and efficiently. There are three key elements to the value of e-delivery:

• Better – information is fit for purpose, current and easy to use.
• Faster – businesses and citizens seeking LINZ information or using our services are able to do so faster, thereby increasing their productivity.
• Cheaper – faster processes mean those interacting with LINZ or using information can do so at lower cost in terms of time and effort. This means the direct cost of delivering information is reduced.

This strategic goal both enables and challenges LINZ to constantly improve information and service delivery, thereby adding value for customers and, more broadly, for New Zealanders. For example, enabling the electronic processing of conveyancing transactions has reduced the time to settlement in a property purchase, providing cost and time savings from the property purchaser to the conveyancer to the vendor. With 100% of survey and title transactions being lodged electronically from 2008/09, LINZ has a clear understanding of how this strategic goal is adding benefit and value. Across the range of our activities, LINZ will continue to focus on where e-delivery can benefit New Zealand.

Expert decision-making

LINZ is responsible for administering 15 statutes and has further statutory responsibilities under more than 60 other statutes. Statutory decision-making is an important part of how we achieve our outcomes, particularly in relation to 'certainty of property rights' and 'best use of Crown assets'. These decisions need to be transparent, well-documented and clearly communicated. They also need to be robust and able to withstand scrutiny. This means following a thorough and balanced process, not only utilising our own knowledge and expertise, but also seeking and carefully considering all relevant points of view.

This is an ongoing focus for LINZ, where we emphasise continuous improvement of our processes, knowledge-gathering and analysis.

Two goals to support LINZ's fourth end outcome

Two further strategic goals have been developed to support LINZ's fourth end outcome.

Co-ordinated all-of-government approach

LINZ seeks to act as a hub agency for information and expertise required by a number of agencies, acting as champion for projects with complex interdependencies. This hub agency role could take the form of coordinating certain cross-agency projects. Cross-agency projects might be internal to the government, or they could involve multi-agency delivery of services to the private sector, or to New Zealanders in general.

Acting as a hub agency will entail building strong relationships with other agencies at both the managerial level, to identify opportunities for co-ordinated activity, and at the operational level, where actual co-ordination will take place. LINZ already acts in this role in Ocean Survey 20/20 and work on the New Zealand Geospatial Strategy.

Co-production between public and private sector to deliver public value

By coupling a thorough understanding of our assets (data, expertise, knowledge and capabilities) and their limitations, and with a sound understanding of the land information markets and their players, LINZ will seek to identify opportunities to use our assets in conjunction with third parties to create or enhance products and services that are valuable to New Zealanders and the rest of the world.

It is not LINZ’s intention to create or enhance these products or services ourselves; we intend to help shape the environment in which third parties can deliver them.

Such assistance may take the form of helping a vendor to understand LINZ’s data and how integration of that data with the vendor’s own data could create something new and valuable. It may take the form of providing new ideas that enhance innovation. It could involve making connections between parties that have complementary products or skills or mutual needs, or entail knowledge transfer that could assist a vendor in reducing time to market.