National GIS data sources
Use this page when you know the question but not the agency.
Start by question
| Question | Strong national starting points | MāoriGIS.nz guide |
|---|---|---|
| Where is the Māori land block and what does the current court record say? | Pātaka Whenua | Māori land data |
| What is the cadastral parcel framework? | NZ Primary Parcels | Property and cadastre |
| What aerial imagery is available? | LINZ Basemaps and LINZ aerial imagery | Imagery |
| Where is LiDAR/elevation available? | New Zealand LiDAR 1m DEM and OpenTopography | LiDAR and elevation |
| What is the official/recorded place name? | New Zealand Gazetteer and NZ Place Names (NZGB) | Place names |
| What river/catchment/environmental monitoring data exists? | LAWA, Earth Sciences NZ, MfE, councils | Taiao data |
| What land-cover/soil/land-resource data exists? | Manaaki Whenua LRIS | Land and soils |
| What conservation/protected-area data exists? | DOC open spatial data | Biodiversity and protected areas |
| What statistical boundaries/data exist? | Stats NZ Geographic Data Service | Stats/census mapping |
| What historic maps/aerials/documents exist? | Retrolens, National Library, Archives NZ, LINZ | Historical research |
| What detailed local hazard/planning data exists? | relevant council | Council GIS |
LINZ
LINZ Data Service is the main national source for cadastral parcels, addresses, topography, hydrography, aerial imagery, elevation and many other national datasets.
If you simply need to start a QGIS exercise, these direct links avoid searching a large catalogue:
For instructions showing what to click after opening those pages, use Web services in QGIS, LINZ Basemaps and LiDAR in QGIS.
Māori Land Court / Te Kooti Whenua Māori
Pātaka Whenua is the current electronic portal for Māori land records and replaced Māori Land Online in 2026.
Use court block/title context separately from LINZ cadastral parcel geometry.
Place names
The New Zealand Gazetteer is the national source for official and recorded geographic names administered through the New Zealand Geographic Board. For GIS download, use NZ Place Names (NZGB). For research, retain its stable Name ID and status as well as geometry.
It is not a complete database of every local or historical Māori name.
Taiao
Useful national and regional networks include:
- LAWA for council/Earth Sciences NZ environmental monitoring views
- MfE Data Service
- Manaaki Whenua LRIS
- DOC Open Spatial Data
- regional council environmental-data portals
Use local monitoring and mātauranga alongside national datasets where that is part of the kaupapa. A national model or classification is context rather than a replacement for local observation.
Hazards
Use national sources for broad context and relevant councils for local published models and planning information. Sources can include GeoNet, Earth Sciences New Zealand and council hazard portals.
Always retain the event probability or scenario and date where the layer is modelled.
Historical material
Useful starting points include:
- Retrolens for historic Crown aerial photography
- Papers Past
- DigitalNZ
- Archives New Zealand Collections search
- Waitangi Tribunal reports and documents
- CFRT research
- LINZ survey plans and the Gazetteer
See Historical research for the document-to-map method.
When to leave the national source
Move to a council or local source when you need local hazard-model detail, district-plan zoning, three-waters or other infrastructure, rating/valuation property, local consents, monitoring, or council imagery/archive material.
Use the Council GIS directory.
Last reviewed: 27 August 2026