The existing Rules for Cadastral Survey have been reviewed. The Rules specify the Surveyor-General's standards for the conduct of cadastral surveys and for cadastral survey datasets. The new Rules for Cadastral Survey 2010 come into effect on 24 May 2010.
- What is a cadastral survey?
- A cadastral survey shows the legal boundaries of a property, and property areas and dimensions. Cadastral survey datasets (CSDs) are digital survey plans that are integrated with geodetic control data to form New Zealand’s cadastre (a cadastre is a is a comprehensive register of the property of a country which includes details on the precise location, dimensions, ownership, tenure, and the value of the land parcels). Cadastral surveys are conducted by licensed surveyors and lodged in Landonline, New Zealand's database for land title and survey information.
- What are the Rules for Cadastral Survey?
- The Rules are made by the Surveyor General under section 49(1) of the Cadastral Survey Act 2002, and govern the conduct of cadastral surveying. The Rules specify the cadastral survey standards that licensed cadastral surveyors have to comply with under the Act. The Rules provide the minimum requirements that surveyors must meet when carrying out and lodging a cadastral survey dataset in Landonline. These surveys form the basis of the national cadastre and support various tenure systems including the land transfer system.
- When were the Rules last reviewed?
- The current Rules were published in 2002 at the same time that the Cadastral Survey Act was passed and came into force, however the 2002 rules were based on the previous Survey Act 1986.
- Why were the Rules reviewed?
- The Rules were reviewed in order to better align them with the Cadastral Survey Act 2002, which made some fundamental changes to the previous Survey Act 1986, under which the current 2002/2 Rules are based. The review also sought to ensure that the Rules were better aligned to the achievement of the cadastral outcomes and objectives, to specify more clearly the enforceable requirements (some were only covered in guidelines), and to ensure that the Rules allow for changes in survey technology and methods.
- Who was consulted in the process?
- The Rules were initially reviewed by the Surveyor-General and a new set of Proposed Rules were developed with the help of an expert committee that included representatives of professional groups, managers of the tenure systems, and LINZ staff. This was followed by a period of public consultation where the Proposed Rules were presented to survey practitioners in late 2007. Submissions were received and considered by the expert committee, resulting in a significant number of changes.
- How are the new Rules different from the old Rules?
- The key differences between the current Surveyor-General’s Rules for Cadastral Survey 2002/2 and the new Rules for Cadastral Survey 2010 are made in the following areas:
- class of boundaries
- accuracy framework (Boundary accuracy standard – Class A, accuracy of adoptions, accuracy of non-boundary marks i.e. PRMs, witness marks and traverse marks, witnessing accuracy, accuracy of water boundaries and irregular boundaries, and accuracy of permanent structure boundaries
- geodetic orientation
- connection
- boundaries (boundary definition and boundary types i.e. form of boundary)
- marks (witness marks, permanent reference marks, traverse marks, boundary marking, old marks disturbed, old marks “no record”)
- parcels (Accounting for all the land under survey, parcel types, parcel appellation, parcel width, parcel area, movable marginal strips)
- cadastral survey datasets (CSD types, CSD content, components of a cadastral survey dataset, CSD plan, title plan, symbology, CSD to be lodged for boundary marking, monumentation CSD)
- retention of data
- dispensations.
- Who will the changes impact?
- The Rules are directed primarily at licensed cadastral surveyors. However the primary beneficiaries of this regulatory intervention are not surveyors but:
- holders of rights, restrictions, and responsibilities in land, including their agents, as the Rules help ensure that they can have confidence in the boundaries of their rights, so that they can efficiently identify, trade, and use them, and
- central and local government agencies that rely on the cadastre for various public purposes.
For more information see:
