Guide to Landowner's Rights

LINZ produces the booklet, Guide to Landowner's Rights, to inform landowners of their rights in the negotiations to acquire land for a public work. It also explains the role of accredited suppliers in those negotiations.

You can also download a printable version of the Guide to Landowner's Rights, 2005 (pdf 167KB).

Preface

Disclaimer, about the booklet and explanation of terms. more...

1 Background

Public works often cannot be carried out without affecting private landowners and their interests in land. For these reasons many governments throughout the world, including New Zealand, provide themselves with legislative powers to compulsorily acquire land for public works so that public works proposals are not unreasonably delayed. more...

2 Public Works Act acquisition process

The Public Works Act provides the Crown with the statutory authority to acquire your land for a public work. The Crown has the power to acquire or take land for a wide variety of purposes and may negotiate for the land in the same way as a private purchaser. While the Crown's powers are wide, it can only acquire land whether by negotiation or compulsorily, in accordance with the Act. more...

3 Compensation

The Public Works Act provides for the payment of compensation for losses arising from the acquisition of land by the Crown. more...

4 General

Acquisition of severed land, procedures where the Crown abandons a proposed acquisition, removal costs for residential and business tenants, purchases ahead of actual requirement, and Resource Management Act approvals and your property. more...