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LiDAR and elevation

LiDAR is one of the most useful datasets for reading the shape of whenua beneath vegetation and buildings. It can reveal terraces, channels, scarps, drains, dune systems, road formations and other landforms that are difficult to see in aerial photography.

Current national products​

LINZ publishes automatically updated national mosaics including:

  • New Zealand LiDAR 1 m DEM
  • New Zealand LiDAR 1 m DSM
  • DEM and DSM hillshades
  • indexes to individual LiDAR surveys
  • source point-cloud data for individual surveys

OpenTopography also hosts the national 1 m LINZ-derived DTM and DSM for a large part of Aotearoa, with web processing, API, STAC and bulk-access options.

Guides​

One important date issue​

The national 1 m mosaic can combine surveys acquired in different years. Newer surveys are prioritised where they overlap. For change research, use the individual survey/date rather than treating the national mosaic as one acquisition.

Last reviewed: 26 August 2026

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