Paper Records Implementation Programme

The Paper Records Implementation Programme is designed to ensure LINZ’s historical paper records will be preserved and kept accessible for the future. The programme stems from LINZ’s operational move to require conveyancers and surveyors to lodge all new land records electronically, through Landonline. The programme is expected to be completed by mid 2012.

The programme is a progression from the Core Paper Records Strategy and broadens that strategy’s approach to include all historical paper records managed by LINZ.

In planning the long-term storage of, and access to, archival records, LINZ is working closely with Archives New Zealand.

Core Paper Records Project

This project, completed in October 2007, designed the strategy that forms the basis of the Paper Records Implementation Programme. It focused on core survey and title paper records. more…

Processing centre counter & office closures

The move to electronic lodgement has meant a significant reduction in manual processing work carried out by our processing centres and, as a result, public counters have closed at our Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin processing centres. These offices will eventually close completely and the historic records held with them will be relocated.

The first office to close will be our Wellington Processing Centre. This office will close on Friday, 23 April 2010. In preparation for this closure we will be moving records from this processing centre to the Hamilton Processing Centre and Archives New Zealand.

This process will start on 9 November 2009, where access to records will be limited during the main move periods. Download a factsheet (PDF 283KB) showing these main periods, including the availability of records.

Future storage of records

To ensure LINZ’s historical records remain publicly available once the above processing centres have closed, the records will be moved into appropriate storage, compliant with the requirements of the Public Records Act 2005.

Our aim is to store records locally where possible, either moving them to Archives New Zealand or to a third-party storage provider.

Records will be professionally appraised based on their ongoing business or archival value. From this appraisal, a Retention Schedule will be created to ensure LINZ:

• is managing its hard copy records (as approved by Archive New Zealand's Chief Archivist), and
• is complying with the Public Records Act 2005, including identifying which records can be destroyed and when, and which records must be retained permanently.

Most of LINZ's historic records will be retained permanently, either by LINZ or by Archives New Zealand.

Future record locations

As the first office to close, records held at our Wellington Processing Centre will be the first to be relocated. Find a schedule of commonly used records and where they will be relocated to. more...

Crown property records

Accredited Crown property service providers will continue to have access to Crown land records through the ELFI catalogue and ordering system.

In a later phase of this programme, the cataloguing of Crown property records will be improved to make access easier.

Historic land records

LINZ manages and preserves its historic land records for the wide range of New Zealanders who have an interest in and a right to access such records.

Although some public counters have closed, land records can still be viewed at all current processing centres by requesting an appointment.

Future electronic access to records

Today land records are recorded in, and generated by, Landonline. Seven million core survey and title paper records, plus a number of historic records, have been digitised and are available electronically on Landonline. Digitising records allows for greater access and helps protect original documents.

LINZ holds millions more historic records and we are currently analysing options to provide additional information to customers about how to access records. The cost of digitising further selected records sets is also being assessed.

Any developments on this will be announced later in 2009.

Get land records now

You can order a copy of a land record or request an appointment to view records at one of our regional processing centres.

If you are researching land records, you can check LINZ’s land record types. Other property record providers can also help with historical research.

Lists of any land records transferred to Archives New Zealand will be available through their Archway system from early February 2010.

Download a factsheet (PDF 283KB) on records that are affected as part of the Wellington reading room records move and where they will be located following the move.

Frequently asked questions

Find answers to common questions about how LINZ will be storing, preserving and providing access to its historical paper records. more...