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Lesson 1: Open a familiar place

Complexity: foundation
Outcome: a saved QGIS project containing LINZ aerial imagery, current NZ Primary Parcels and NZ Place Names around a place you recognise.

This lesson assumes no previous QGIS experience. If you have not completed the course setup, do that first.

Before you begin​

You need:

  • QGIS 3.44 LTR installed
  • an internet connection
  • your qgis-course folder
  • 03_project/qgis-course.qgz created during course setup
  • a web browser
  • a LINZ Data Service account for the WFS steps

You will use:

1. Open the course project​

  1. Start QGIS.
  2. Choose Project → Open….
  3. Browse to qgis-course/03_project.
  4. Click qgis-course.qgz.
  5. Click Open.
  6. Look at the lower-right corner of QGIS.
  7. Confirm the project CRS shows EPSG:2193.
  8. If it does not, click the CRS indicator.
  9. Type 2193 in the filter box.
  10. Select NZGD2000 / New Zealand Transverse Mercator 2000 – EPSG:2193.
  11. Click OK.
  12. Save the project with Ctrl+S on Windows or Command+S on macOS.

You should now see​

  • an empty central map canvas
  • a Layers panel, probably empty
  • a Browser panel
  • EPSG:2193 in the lower-right corner

If either panel is missing, choose View → Panels and tick Layers Panel and Browser Panel.

2. Learn the three controls you will use constantly​

Before adding data, find these tools on the main QGIS toolbar:

  1. Move your mouse over toolbar buttons without clicking them.
  2. Find Pan Map. Its tooltip identifies it. This lets you drag the map sideways or up and down.
  3. Find Zoom In. This lets you click or drag a rectangle to zoom closer.
  4. Find Zoom Out.
  5. Find Identify Features. Its icon normally contains an information symbol. You will use it later to inspect data.

You do not need to memorise the icons. Hovering over a QGIS toolbar button tells you what it does.

3. Get a LINZ Basemaps API key​

The aerial imagery connection uses a LINZ Basemaps key. This is separate from the LINZ Data Service key used for parcels and place names.

  1. Leave QGIS open.
  2. Open LINZ Basemaps in your web browser.
  3. Open the site's API or developer access control.
  4. Create or copy the current Basemaps API key offered by the site.
  5. Keep the browser tab open until the connection works in QGIS.

Do not publish your personal key in a screenshot, document or public repository.

4. Create the aerial imagery connection​

  1. Return to QGIS.
  2. Choose Layer → Add Layer → Add WMS/WMTS Layer….
  3. The Data Source Manager opens on the WMS/WMTS section.
  4. Click New.
  5. In Name, type:
LINZ Aerial Basemap
  1. In URL, enter the WMTS capabilities address below and replace YOUR_KEY with the Basemaps key you copied:
https://basemaps.linz.govt.nz/v1/tiles/aerial/WMTSCapabilities.xml?api=YOUR_KEY
  1. Make sure there are no spaces before or after the URL.
  2. Leave username and password blank.
  3. Click OK.
  4. Back in Data Source Manager, click the connection named LINZ Aerial Basemap so it is selected.
  5. Click Connect.
  6. Wait for the service contents to appear in the lower part of the window.
  7. Click the aerial tileset returned by the service.
  8. Click Add.
  9. Click Close.
  10. Look at the Layers panel.

You should now see​

A new aerial layer in the Layers panel. The map may initially show all of Aotearoa or a very large area.

If the layer is listed but the map is blank, right-click the aerial layer and choose Zoom to Layer(s). If QGIS reports an invalid or expired key, return to LINZ Basemaps and copy a current key, then edit the connection in Data Source Manager → WMS/WMTS.

5. Move to a familiar place​

Choose a local area you know reasonably well. Do not use all of Aotearoa for this course.

  1. Select the Zoom In tool.
  2. Click repeatedly over the general part of Aotearoa you want to use.
  3. As roads, towns and landscape features become recognisable, keep zooming toward your study area.
  4. Select Pan Map when you need to move the map without changing scale.
  5. Stop when the map covers roughly a town, several neighbouring rural properties, a marae locality, or a short section of an awa.
  6. Save the project.

If you accidentally zoom somewhere unhelpful, right-click the aerial layer and choose Zoom to Layer(s), then try again.

6. Create a spatial bookmark​

A bookmark lets you return to this extent later.

  1. Keep the map centred on your chosen area.
  2. Choose View → New Spatial Bookmark….
  3. In the bookmark name field, type a recognisable name such as Course study area or the public locality name.
  4. If QGIS offers a choice between saving the bookmark to the project or your user profile, choose the project option.
  5. Click Save or OK, depending on the dialog shown.
  6. Save the project.

Later, open bookmarks through View → Show Spatial Bookmarks if you need to return here.

7. Create a LINZ Data Service key​

The parcel and place-name services use a LINZ Data Service data-access key.

If you already have an LDS data-access key, go to step 8.

  1. In your browser open LINZ Data Service.
  2. Sign in. If you do not have an account, use the site's account-registration process and complete sign-in before continuing.
  3. After signing in, click your account/name control in the top part of the site.
  4. Open API Keys.
  5. Click Create API Key.
  6. Enter a label such as:
QGIS course
  1. Choose the data-access option rather than an administrative or write-access option.
  2. Create the key.
  3. Copy it or leave the page open so you can use the service URLs generated by LDS.

The LDS key is not the same key as your Basemaps key.

8. Get the parcel WFS address​

  1. In your browser open NZ Primary Parcels.
  2. Make sure you are still signed in to LINZ Data Service.
  3. Find and open the dataset's Services section or tab.
  4. Find WFS.
  5. Copy the GetCapabilities URL generated by LDS.
  6. Do not remove the key or other parameters LDS has put into the address.
  7. Return to QGIS.

9. Add NZ Primary Parcels​

  1. Choose Layer → Add Layer → Add WFS / OGC API - Features Layer….
  2. Data Source Manager opens.
  3. Click New.
  4. In Name, type:
LINZ NZ Primary Parcels
  1. Paste the WFS GetCapabilities address into URL.
  2. Click OK.
  3. Select the connection LINZ NZ Primary Parcels.
  4. Before loading features, enable Only request features overlapping the view extent if the checkbox is shown in your QGIS dialog.
  5. Click Connect.
  6. Wait for the available layer list to appear.
  7. Click the NZ Primary Parcels layer.
  8. Click Add.
  9. Click Close.
  10. Wait for parcel outlines to draw. The first request can take a little time.
  11. Save the project.

You should now see​

Parcel polygons over the aerial image in your study area.

If QGIS tries to load a national-scale parcel request and becomes very slow, cancel the request if possible, zoom much farther into your study area and reconnect with the extent-limiting option enabled.

10. Make the parcel layer readable​

The default polygon style may cover the aerial imagery. Change it so you can see both.

  1. In the Layers panel double-click NZ Primary Parcels.
  2. The Layer Properties dialog opens.
  3. Click Symbology in the left-hand list.
  4. Click the main polygon symbol preview.
  5. In the symbol layers, select Simple fill if it is not already selected.
  6. Set Fill style to No Brush, or set the fill colour opacity to zero.
  7. Keep a visible outline colour.
  8. Set the outline width to a modest value that is easy to see without dominating the imagery.
  9. Click Apply.
  10. Look at the map behind the dialog if visible.
  11. Click OK when parcel boundaries are clear and the imagery is visible through them.
  12. Save the project.

11. Inspect one parcel​

  1. Click the parcel layer once in the Layers panel so it is the active layer.
  2. Select Identify Features from the toolbar.
  3. Click inside a parcel polygon.
  4. An Identify Results panel or window opens.
  5. Expand the result if necessary.
  6. Look through the fields. Find the parcel identifier and any appellation or parcel-intent information present.
  7. Close or leave the Identify panel open.
  8. Right-click the parcel layer in the Layers panel.
  9. Choose Open Attribute Table.
  10. Scroll across the columns and down several rows.
  11. Notice that the attribute table contains records behind the shapes you see on the map.
  12. Close the attribute table.

A GIS layer is not only a picture. The geometry and attributes belong together.

12. Check where the parcel layer came from​

  1. Right-click the parcel layer.
  2. Choose Properties.
  3. Click Information.
  4. Find the feature type, CRS and source/provider information.
  5. Click Source.
  6. Notice the service address rather than trying to memorise it.
  7. Click Cancel or OK without changing anything.

Do not change a layer's source CRS because it differs from the project CRS. QGIS can display a layer in its own valid CRS inside an EPSG:2193 project.

13. Get the place-name WFS address​

  1. In your browser open NZ Place Names (NZGB).
  2. Make sure you are signed in.
  3. Open Services.
  4. Find WFS.
  5. Copy the WFS GetCapabilities URL.
  6. Return to QGIS.

14. Add NZ Place Names​

  1. Choose Layer → Add Layer → Add WFS / OGC API - Features Layer….
  2. Click New.
  3. In Name, type:
LINZ NZ Place Names
  1. Paste the place-name WFS address into URL.
  2. Click OK.
  3. Select the new connection.
  4. Enable Only request features overlapping the view extent if shown.
  5. Click Connect.
  6. Select the NZ Place Names layer returned by the service.
  7. Click Add.
  8. Click Close.
  9. Save the project.

You should now see​

Three layers in the Layers panel:

NZ Place Names (NZGB)
NZ Primary Parcels
LINZ Aerial Basemap

The exact displayed service-layer names can vary slightly, but you should have one place-name point layer, one parcel polygon layer and one aerial imagery layer.

15. Put the layers in a sensible order​

Layers at the top of the Layers panel draw over layers underneath them.

  1. Drag the aerial imagery layer to the bottom.
  2. Keep parcels above the imagery.
  3. Keep place names above parcels.
  4. If you cannot see a layer, confirm the checkbox beside its name is ticked.
  5. Save the project.

16. Inspect one place-name record​

  1. Click the place-name layer in the Layers panel.
  2. Select Identify Features.
  3. Click one place-name point.
  4. Inspect the fields returned.
  5. Find the field that contains the displayed or official name.
  6. Find the field that identifies the feature or name record if present.
  7. Right-click the layer and choose Open Attribute Table.
  8. Confirm that macrons and other characters display properly where present.
  9. Close the attribute table.

Lesson 3 deals with place-name provenance and label choices in more detail. For now, the purpose is to learn how to inspect a second vector layer.

17. Check the three CRSs​

  1. Confirm the project CRS in the lower-right corner is EPSG:2193.
  2. Right-click the parcel layer → Properties → Information.
  3. Write the layer CRS into 03_project/README.md under Source notes.
  4. Close the dialog.
  5. Right-click the place-name layer → Properties → Information.
  6. Write its layer CRS into the README.
  7. Close the dialog.
  8. Save the README.
  9. Save the QGIS project.

The project CRS and source-layer CRS do not have to be identical. If everything lines up geographically, QGIS is transforming the layers for display.

18. Record the sources​

Open 03_project/README.md in your text editor. Under Source notes, add one short record for each source. Use this structure:

LINZ aerial basemap
Publisher: Toitū Te Whenua LINZ
Dataset/service: LINZ Aerial Basemap
URL: https://basemaps.linz.govt.nz/
Accessed: [today's date]
Project role: visual imagery context

NZ Primary Parcels
Publisher: Toitū Te Whenua LINZ
Dataset/service: NZ Primary Parcels
URL: https://data.linz.govt.nz/layer/50772-nz-primary-parcels/
Accessed: [today's date]
Project role: current cadastral parcel geometry

NZ Place Names (NZGB)
Publisher: Toitū Te Whenua LINZ / New Zealand Geographic Board
Dataset/service: NZ Place Names (NZGB)
URL: https://data.linz.govt.nz/layer/51681-nz-place-names-nzgb/
Accessed: [today's date]
Project role: public place-name context

Add the layer CRS you found where useful. Do not put private API keys in the README.

19. Save and reopen the project​

This checks that you have actually saved the project rather than only built a temporary session.

  1. Save the README and close the text editor.
  2. In QGIS press Ctrl+S or Command+S.
  3. Choose Project → Close.
  4. If QGIS asks whether to save, choose Save.
  5. Choose Project → Open….
  6. Open 03_project/qgis-course.qgz again.
  7. Wait for the online layers to redraw.
  8. Use your spatial bookmark if needed to return to the study area.

You should now see​

The same three layers and the same project CRS after reopening the .qgz file.

Verify before moving on​

Do not start Lesson 2 until you can do all of these on your own computer:

  • open qgis-course.qgz
  • point to the Layers panel and Browser panel
  • show EPSG:2193 as the project CRS
  • turn the aerial layer on and off
  • turn the parcel layer on and off
  • identify a parcel and open its attribute table
  • identify a place-name point and open its attribute table
  • show where the three source URLs are recorded in README.md
  • reopen the project without losing the layers

Common problems​

I cannot see the Layers or Browser panel​

Choose View → Panels and tick the missing panel.

The aerial imagery is blank​

Open Layer → Data Source Manager → WMS/WMTS, select the LINZ connection and edit it. Check that the URL contains a current Basemaps API key and not the literal text YOUR_KEY.

QGIS says the Basemaps key is invalid​

Return to LINZ Basemaps and obtain a current key, then update the WMS/WMTS connection.

Parcels take too long to load​

Zoom to a much smaller area and reconnect with Only request features overlapping the view extent enabled.

The imagery hides the vectors​

Drag imagery to the bottom of the Layers panel. Make the parcel fill transparent in Layer Properties → Symbology.

A layer appears hundreds of kilometres away​

Do not drag features into place. Right-click the layer → Properties → Information and check the source CRS. Check the project CRS is EPSG:2193. A wrongly assigned CRS is a data-definition problem, not a geometry-editing problem.

The online layer disappears after reopening QGIS​

Check your internet connection and the saved service connection. Online WMS/WMTS and WFS layers need their service to be reachable when the project opens.

Next: Lesson 2: Māori land and parcels.

Test basis: QGIS 3.44 LTR. Last reviewed: 4 September 2026

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