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Land Information Minister Louise Upston has welcomed today’s passing of the Reserves and Other Land Disposal (ROLD) Bill in Parliament.

ROLD Bills make non-controversial changes to land status such as Crown land, reserves and land held for public or private purposes. In essence this legislation works to tidying up small issues that do not warrant their own legislation.

“This particular Bill deals with a number of iconic New Zealand locations including the Dunedin Octagon, Mahinepua Bay reserve, Taieri Airport, and more,” Ms Upston says.

Revenue Minister Todd McClay and Land Information Minister Louise Upston say people buying and selling property for profit will now be unable to avoid paying their fair share of tax.

Provisions introduced in the Taxation (Land Information and Offshore Persons Information) Bill passed the Third Reading in Parliament today.

The resulting measures amend the Land Transfer Act and Tax Administration Act 2015, and will see Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) collect additional information when property is bought and sold, and pass this information to Inland Revenue.

Land Information Minister Louise Upston has today announced her decision to correct the spelling of 12 place and feature names in the Opotiki District.

The names include such places as the Waiotahi River, Waiotahi Forest and Waiotahi Knoll, which will be corrected to the original Māori name ‘Waiotahe.’

“It is well known around Opotiki that the name Waiotahi is incorrect but despite this, the misspelling has prevailed for some time through common usage,” Ms Upston says.

Lake Wanaka is healthier than it has been in decades, thanks to weed control work led by Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), Minister for Land Information Louise Upston said today.

“In 2005, LINZ and a number of other agencies developed a 10-year strategy to deal with lagarosiphon. A decade on, two-thirds of the lake is clear of the aquatic weed, and LINZ is ready to begin the next phase of control work.

An in-depth assessment of New Zealand’s waters is set to improve maritime safety for ships, Minister for Land Information Louise Upston has announced today.

“As part of ongoing work to improve safety in our waters, Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) will map areas of high risk so charting improvements can be made where they are needed most.

A bill which will help Inland Revenue enforce the tax rules around property has passed its first reading in Parliament today.

Minister of Revenue Todd McClay and Minister for Land Information Louise Upston say the Taxation (Land Information and Offshore Persons Information) Bill contains two property tax proposals announced as part of Budget 2015.

“This package of measures will ensure that people buying and selling residential property for profit pay their fair share of tax,” says Mr McClay.

Revenue Minister Todd McClay and Land Information Minister Louise Upston have welcomed the introduction of a new bill which will help Inland Revenue enforce the tax rules around property.

The Taxation (Land Information and Offshore Persons Information) Bill containing proposed amendments to the Land Transfer Act and the Tax Administration Act was introduced into Parliament yesterday by Ms Upston. The bill contains two of the property tax proposals announced as part of Budget 2015:

Land Information Minister Louise Upston says a new approach to mapping will encourage Kiwis to find innovative uses for information about our land.

“Land Information New Zealand’s (LINZ) topographic data – the authoritative record of the country’s physical features – has long been used to create maps, but recently we’ve seen businesses reuse it to create some rather clever products.

The presentation of vital data on shipping hazards to Vanuatu, Tonga and the Cook Islands is an important first step toward significantly improving maritime safety in the South West Pacific, Land Information Minister Louise Upston said today.

“The risk maps – created by Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) – are a world first, combining a range of information to show where maritime safety improvements are most needed,” Ms Upston says.

The 2014/15 Open Data Barometer Global Report shows that New Zealand continues to be one of the best countries in the world at allowing open access to government data, Finance Minister Bill English and Land Information Minister Louise Upston say. 

“New Zealand leads the East Asia-Pacific region and ranks fourth-equal with France in the world behind the UK, US and Sweden,” Mr English says.

Open data is a key indicator of a country’s innovation, transparency and lack of corruption.

The Government has agreed to continue work to enable a small number of local authorities to trial online voting, Associate Minister of Local Government Louise Upston said today.

“The agreement to continue work is in response to requests from local government to trial online voting at the October 2016 local authority elections. The councils that may participate in a trial are still to be determined.”

Ms Upston said it is important to ensure the trial process is secure and fair so public confidence in the integrity of local elections can be maintained.

The limitless potential of location information, and the innovative people working at its forefront, took centre stage last night at the inaugural New Zealand Spatial Excellence Awards (NZSEA), Land Information Minister Louise Upston said today.

Location – or spatial – information tells us where things are, how they relate to one another, and how they change over time.

“Decisions using this sort of information contribute over $1 billion to the economy each year,” Ms Upston says.

Land Information Minister Louise Upston has welcomed the removal of aquatic hornwort from Lake Karapiro, saying it will enhance the health of this nationally significant lake. 

The project will ensure the public can fully enjoy the lake, especially with a number of notable events this summer.

“Lake Karapiro – near my home – is one of our most well-known lakes and is enjoyed by both locals and visitors alike,” says Ms Upston.