Using Crown property

Identifying ownership

If you’re interested in using or accessing Crown-owned properties, first you’ll need to check whether it is in fact managed by us. If you’re interested in using reserves or other conservation land, you should contact the Department of Conservation.

It can be a complex process to establish which government agency is responsible for Crown-owned properties, as many of these properties do not have a title.  So you should give us as much information as possible to help us pinpoint the property you are interested in. This information might include:

• Plans or pictures of the property that help identify the area you want to use (for example, information held by your council, or photos or screenshots from services such as the LINZ Data Service or Google Earth);
• Details of properties close to the one you want to use, such as legal descriptions or street addresses;
• Any other information that suggests we are responsible for the property.

In some cases we may need to investigate further to determine whether the land is one of our properties. 

If you want to use our land, contact us at crownproperty@linz.govt.nz

Using our property 

Once you’ve confirmed that the property is managed by us, we can advise whether the property can be used for the purpose you propose, help you work out which approval you need to apply for, and explain the sort of information you’ll need to provide in your application. 

Some of the most common uses are explained in more detail on the pages in this section.

Accessing our property

Not all of our property is accessible to the public. Some properties are leased to individuals or companies, who have the right to restrict access if they feel it is appropriate to do so. 

We may also need to restrict access because of health and safety concerns, or because the land is being used for farming, forestry, mining or commercial activities. 

Sometimes access will be temporarily restricted because of pest management work. Check our biosecurity public notices for information on upcoming control programmes and the areas affected.

View information on current and upcoming control work

Guide for applicants

For more information about making an enquiry or application to use land managed by LINZ check out the guide for applicants below.

The guide provides information on what to expect, and how LINZ will provide support throughout the application and decision-making processes. 

This guide will be regularly reviewed and updated. If you would like to provide feedback on it, or have any questions, you can contact us at crownproperty@linz.govt.nz