Find out more...High Country Land

South Island high country grazing land has been leased or licensed by the Crown to farmers since the 1850s. Pastoral leaseholders have 33-year leases with a perpetual right of renewal. Licence holders have fixed term licences with no automatic right of renewal.

You can learn more about the types of leases and licences that LINZ administers in high country background and policy, as well as Government objectives and policy.

Leases allow grazing of the land for pastoral farming purposes and are subject to a range of restrictions on other uses of the land. Leaseholders need to apply to carry out discretionary activities on pastoral land.

To gain ownership of the land and be able to use it like any other New Zealand landowner, leaseholders must go through a process called tenure review, under the Crown Pastoral Land Act 1998.

For more information about individual leases and licences, including latest advertised reviews, check the list in status and location of Crown pastoral land, or see Crown property in the news.