As a regulatory steward, Toitū Te Whenua is constantly working to update its systems to reflect best practice and the current context. It draws information from many sources to inform its thinking, including seeking independent reviews.
The most recent report on the Property Information regulatory system has provided a constructive and useful addition to our ongoing stewardship activities. Its findings accurately reflect the complexity of the system and the different views held by stakeholders. The assessment provides a highly useful input into the future stewardship, evaluative, and maintenance work on the Property Information regulatory system.
Toitū Te Whenua has been undertaking work to contribute to improvements in the system, picking up the findings of the report. These changes include:
- establishing a Property Data Management Framework as a model for connecting New Zealand’s property data to deliver a package of data about a property
- as part of Toitū Te Whenua’s modernising Landonline programme:
- implementing the Notice of Change of Ownership process, an automated data exchange service that enables conveyancing professionals to easily notify councils when there’s a change of ownership on a title
- collating district valuation roll data to create a national district valuation dataset
- launching the Public Land Record Search service, to make it easier for everyone to find and order property records
- updating Landonline web search to provide easier access to land records
- automating the Notice to Mortgagee process
- improving the New Zealand localities dataset, available on the LINZ Data Service and in different GIS formats
- undertaking a property spine research project with Stats NZ.
Toitū Te Whenua is also improving how it measures its outcomes, refreshing its strategy for geographic and property data, and improving its data governance processes. There will also be significant opportunities identified in the Valuer-General’s rules review.
Improvements made to improve the Property Information regulatory system
Property Data Management Framework: stakeholder consultation and feedback (2022) and published (2023)
The Property Data Management Framework (PDMF) is a model for connecting New Zealand’s property data. It identifies and defines accurate relationships between property data, such as address, parcel, titles, buildings, and rating units.
The model aims to connect core concepts in property information to deliver a package of data about a property.
Benefits/outcomes
Find out more about the PDMF and the document itself
The PDMF can help local authorities, central government agencies, and other organisations to access, combine and share their information quickly and reliably.
We expect these agencies to be the main audience for the PDMF, although any organisation who uses property data should find it useful.
When we did it
2022/23
Contribution to themes from PIRS assessment
- Improved data quality.
- Consistent data standards.
STEP: implementation of the Notice of Change of Ownership (NoC) process
Developed as part of our modernising Landonline (STEP) programme, NoC is an automated data exchange service that lets conveyancing professionals notify councils when there’s a change of ownership on a title. It uses the data relationships described in the PDMF.
Read our factsheets about each of these STEP products and benefits
Benefits/outcomes
NoC has delivered:
- improved data quality
- consistent data standards
- efficiencies in the system.
Councils benefit because the information they receive is accurate, giving them better data quality.
Conveyancing professionals benefit because NoC is easy to use and saves them time.
When we did it
2020/21
STEP: National district valuation roll dataset (by-product of NoC process)
We collate district valuation roll (DVR) data from territorial authorities to create property datasets including a national DVR dataset.
These datasets are available to local and central government agencies via the LINZ Data Service.
Benefits/outcomes
Benefits include:
- improved accessibility
- efficiencies in the system.
This is useful and sought after data that local and central government agencies can access for free (with confidentiality restrictions on use).
When we did it
2019 to 2023
STEP: Public Land Record Search service
Launched on 1 February 2021, the online search service makes it easier for everyone to find and order property records such as titles and survey plans.
It makes New Zealand’s survey and title system more modern, robust and accessible.
Benefits/outcomes
Benefits include:
- improved accessibility
- efficiencies in the system
- reduced cost to access.
The service is cheaper than the previous ordering process and the records are usually delivered within a few minutes, saving customers up to 2 working days.
When we did it
2020/21
STEP: Landonline Web Search
Easier access to land records for registered Landonline customers. Customers can:
- access Web Search from any computer or mobile device with no need for a digital certificate to authenticate their identity
- take advantage of the visual map view, including aerial imagery, to find the right information
- remain logged in to Web Search throughout the day, reducing the need to log in each time they use the application.
- choose the format they’d like to receive the information, including receiving a PDF by email, viewing on-screen or downloading the records they need.
Benefits/outcomes
The key benefit is improved accessibility. It is now easier for Landonline customers to search and order land records from any device.
When we did it
2020/21
STEP: Notice to Mortgagee (NtM)
Automation of the process to simultaneously inform financial institutions and the solicitor (acting on behalf of their client) that a mortgage has been registered against a Record of Title.
Benefits/outcomes
The key benefit is efficiencies in the system. As an automated process, NtM reduces duplication, as solicitors won’t need to order searches and forward those searches to financial institutions. NtM also improves the speed with which financial institutions know the mortgage has been registered.
When we did it
2020/21
Improving the NZ Localities dataset
Toitū Te Whenua worked with Fire and Emergency New Zealand to open up and take over the ownership and maintenance of this highly sought after dataset. Following a successful pilot, Toitū Te Whenua launched the NZ Suburbs and Localities dataset in June 2023.
This new dataset:
- is published with a creative commons open licence so anyone can access it and reuse it for any purpose
- is available on the LINZ Data Services and in different GIS formats
- includes official place names and macrons.
Benefits/outcomes
The key benefits are:
- open accessibility and reuse licencing
- data standardisation
- improved data quality.
As well as continuing to support emergency services to the required standard, the open dataset is used by:
- territorial authorities and NZ Post for addressing purposes
- commercial companies, such as homes.co.nz, to visualise suburbs in their products.
When we did it
2020 to 2023
Property Spine research project with StatsNZ
Guided by the government data investment plan and the strategic intentions of both agencies, Toitū Te Whenua and Stats NZ completed a research project that demonstrates the feasibility of future investment in connecting property data across the system.
Benefits/outcomes
The main benefits are:
- data standardisation
- improved data quality
- efficiencies in the system.
The research project applied Toitū Te Whenua’s property data management expertise (and the PDMF) to a Stats NZ use case of running a national census which requires understanding where people live.
Toitū Te Whenua and StatsNZ are continuing to work together to connect dwelling and property data.
The research project successfully demonstrated that census dwelling data would improve in quality, as well as bring maintenance efficiencies, when linked to property data managed by Toitū Te Whenua.
Linking dwelling data to property data would also improve property-related decision-making for central and local government, hapū, iwi and Māori, and businesses.
Specific outcomes from the project were:
- validation of the property spine as fit for purpose beyond Toitū Te Whenua – a true foundational data asset
- a tangible proof of concept to gain support from StatsNZ and Toitū Te Whenua to develop and invest further
- practical steps towards meeting Tiriti obligations.
When we did it
2022
Future opportunities to address issues identified in the property information regulatory system assessment
- Toitū Te Whenua is improving how it measures its outcomes as well as refreshing its strategy for geographic and property data. These activities provide an opportunity to acknowledge and address issues identified in the Property Information regulatory system assessment.
- There is also significant opportunity to remove existing constraints around district valuation roll data through the Valuer-General’s rules review.
- Toitū Te Whenua is planning to improve its data governance processes as well as strengthen connections with the Government Chief Data Steward.