Data and disclaimers

Map data and layers

Public Access Areas

Public access areas show land where the public has a legal right of access. We create this dataset using data from Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand, and information from councils and the Department of Conservation.

• Road parcels – Formed and unformed legal roads. See data source.
• Easements – Registered easements that allow public access. [Link]
• Reserve land – Land that allows public access under the Reserves Act 1977 or earlier laws. View on Open Data Portal.
• Public access conservation land – Conservation land that the public can access under relevant laws. The Department of Conservation manages most, but not all, of this land. [Link]
• Other parks and reserves – Council-owned land where the council allows public access. [Link]
• Other public access areas – Other places with identified legal public access. [Link]

Legal access may be difficult to use or may have conditions. Follow signs, check current guidance online and contact the organisation that manages the land if you are unsure.

Property Information

This information comes from Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand.

• Hydro parcels – Current water-related land parcels and basic details. These parcels do not show legal public access. See data source.
• Parcels – The complete parcel dataset, including primary and non-primary parcels, roads and hydro parcels. Primary parcels data source and non-primary parcels data source.
• Property titles – Title information linked to one or more primary parcels. Ownership details are not shown. A record of title includes a property’s legal description and registered rights and responsibilities. See data source.

Recreation Points

These layers show useful places for tramping, camping and reaching rivers, lakes and the coast.

Check the public access layers as well. Only enter public land, or private land when you have permission.

• River and coastal access points (Environment Canterbury) – Access points in the Canterbury region. Environment Canterbury supplies the data.
• Department of Conservation huts – Locations of huts and bivvies. Before leaving, check the Department of Conservation website or local office to make sure a hut or bivvy is open. See data source.
• Department of Conservation campsites – Locations of campsites. Before leaving, check the Department of Conservation website or local office to make sure a campsite is open. See data source.

Tracks & Trails

These layers show tracks and trails for different activities and ability levels. Check the public access layers as well, and enter public or private land only with permission. Locations and details are indicative. For fuller trail information, use Plan My Walk from the Mountain Safety Council.

• Walking and tramping – Walking, tramping and running tracks across Aotearoa New Zealand. Select a track for details. Data comes from councils, Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand and the Department of Conservation.
• Shared use – Tracks for two or more activities, such as walking, mountain biking, running, horse riding or cycling. Select a track to see what is allowed. Data comes from councils, Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand and the Department of Conservation.
• Mountain biking – Tracks mainly for mountain biking. Select a track for details, including difficulty. Data comes from councils, Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand and the Department of Conservation.
• Te Araroa – The current full route. Te Araroa Trust and the Outdoor Access Commission manage the data together. View on Open Data Portal.
• New Zealand Cycle Trail – Current Great Rides and Heartland Rides. Data comes from Waka Kotahi and New Zealand Cycle Trails.
• Great Rides – Mostly off-road routes through notable New Zealand landscapes. Data sourced from New Zealand Cycle Trails.
• Heartland Rides – Mostly on-road scenic routes that often pass through small towns. Use them on their own or as part of a longer trip. Data sourced from New Zealand Cycle Trails.
• Connector Rides – Shorter routes that link Great Rides, Heartland Rides, towns and cities. Data sourced from New Zealand Cycle Trails.
• Cycle touring and bikepacking routes – Longer on-road and off-road cycling routes.
• Transport links – Public transport routes that connect sections of rides.

Hunting and Fishing

These national layers show places and boundaries related to hunting, fishing and recreation access. Check the public access layers as well, and enter public or private land only with permission.

• Hunting and fishing – River and coastal access points, hunting and fishing access places, and Fish & Game Council locations. Fish & Game New Zealand supplies the information.
• Fish & Game boundaries – Areas covered by each Fish & Game Council. Fish & Game New Zealand supplies the information.
• Department of Conservation recreational hunting permit areas – Public conservation land where recreational hunting may take place. You must get a hunting permit online or from a Department of Conservation office before hunting. See data source.

Herenga ā Nuku Cases

We first collected this case data for our internal case management system, not for the public. Case names may not accurately describe a case’s location, subject or outcome. We have changed some names to remove details that identify people. Before relying on information about a case, contact our operations team to verify it or request more details.

• Access dispute cases – Cases where public access is disputed or blocked.
• Enhanced Access Fund – Projects funded to improve local and regional access. See the Enhanced Access Fund.
• New access cases – Work that supports community and landholder access goals and projects.
• Overseas Investment Office cases – Work that supports public access conditions attached to overseas investment consent. See decision summaries on the Overseas Investment page.
• Road stopping cases – Cases involving proposals or applications to stop a road under the Local Government Act 1974 or Public Works Act 1981.
• Tenure review cases – Cases where we provided evidence about access opportunities during tenure review. See the Tenure Review page.
• General enquiries – Public access questions and advice that do not fit a more specific case type.

Boundaries

• Territorial authority – Verified territorial authority boundaries across the motu, supplied by Stats NZ.

Property Information

This information comes from Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand. You can also view it at https://data.linz.govt.nz/.

• Non-primary parcels – Easements, rights of way, utilities, marginal strips and covenants.
• Non-primary linear parcels – Current linear parcels, such as centreline or pipeline easements.
• Hydro parcels – Current water-related land parcels and basic details. These parcels do not show legal public access.
• Parcels – The full parcel dataset, including primary and non-primary parcels, roads and hydro parcels.
• Property titles – Title information linked to one or more primary parcels. Ownership details are not shown. A record of title includes a property’s legal description and registered rights and responsibilities.

Tangata Whenua 

• Marae – Tribal, urban, institutional and historic marae across Aotearoa New Zealand. Information comes from local and central government, Te Kāhui Māngai, and iwi and hapū websites, and has been checked across these sources.
• Māori land blocks (2022) – A 2022 snapshot of ownership, trustees, memorials and block information for land covered by the Māori Land Court. It includes Māori customary and freehold land, general land owned by Māori, Crown land reserved for Māori, some Treaty settlement reserves, mahinga kai and fishing rights areas.
• Iwi areas of interest – Areas of interest for iwi named in the Māori Fisheries Act 2004. The layer also shows iwi and hapū on Te Kāhui Māngai that have begun negotiating settlements for historical Treaty of Waitangi claims.
• Te Reo Māori place names – Names added to OpenStreetMap by Andrew Douglas-Clifford using sources including MāoriLanguage.net, Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand, the New Zealand Geographic Board, NZHistory, Kā Huru Manu: the Ngāi Tahu Atlas, The Reed Dictionary of Māori Place Names, The Raupō Dictionary of Modern Māori and Te Aka Māori Dictionary.

Data disclaimer

• The Outdoor Access Commission does not guarantee that the data is accurate, complete or suitable for your purpose. Databases can contain errors, including errors in information supplied by others.
• The commission does not guarantee that the data does not infringe another person’s copyright or other intellectual property rights.
• The commission is not liable for any loss, damage or expense caused by using, or being unable to use, the data.
• Take care when drawing conclusions from the data.
• If you use the data, state when you obtained it and note that it may no longer be current.
• Legal access may also be difficult or impractical on the ground.