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Geospatial research and development will focus more on what people actually need, thanks to the new Geospatial Research and Development Priorities and Opportunities document, Land Information Minister Louise Upston said today.

“The launch formed part of New Zealand’s first Geospatial Research Conference, held at the University of Canterbury, which is fitting as this document is the first of its kind for New Zealand,” says Minister Upston.

Today marks the start of a new phase in Christchurch’s earthquake recovery, with responsibility for around 8,000 residential red zone properties transferring from the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) to Land Information New Zealand (LINZ).

Minister for Land Information, Louise Upston, said the transfer will provide communities with confidence about the future management of the land.

“The immediate focus will be on maintaining current service levels and minimising any disruption to residents and neighbours of red zone properties.

Kiwi experts are teaming up with French and US scientists in Antarctica this week, as part of international efforts to understand the impacts of climate change on the frozen continent, Land Information Minister Louise Upston said today.

“Antarctica is an important measure of global climate, so the work LINZ is doing will help climate scientists to better understand the impact that global phenomenon like sea level rise have on all of us,” Ms Upston says.

The spelling of Wanganui District will be corrected to ‘Whanganui District’ – reflecting the views of the Wanganui District Council (WDC), local iwi and public submitters, Land Information Minister Louise Upston said today.

“Having reviewed the WDC’s proposal, all public submissions and other materials I’ve agreed that the spelling of the local authority district name should be corrected,” Ms Upston says.

New legislation will help give Canterbury property owners more certainty about where their property boundaries are, Minister for Land Information Louise Upston announced today.

“Due to the effect of earthquake-related ground movement on property boundaries in parts of Canterbury, it is difficult to accurately locate some legal boundaries. 

Land Information New Zealand Minister Louise Upston leaves today for an official visit to Mexico. Minister Upston will visit Mexico City, where she will give a keynote speech at the Open Government Partnership Summit.

“New Zealand has a strong and internationally recognised history of open data and transparent government. The Open Data Barometer Report shows New Zealand as a world leader in government data available to citizens.

Online data provided free of charge by Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) is proving critical to the success of businesses across New Zealand, Land Information Minister Louise Upston says.

“LINZ’s Data Service has more than 19,000 users, and a recent customer survey found more than half of those surveyed rely on its data. A further 20 per cent reported the service’s data is critical to the success of their business,” Ms Upston says.

An overseas company’s application to purchase Lochinver Station has been declined because the benefits to New Zealand are not substantial and identifiable, Ministers Paula Bennett and Louise Upston say.

Pure 100 Farm Ltd, a subsidiary of China-based Shanghai Pengxin, applied to the Overseas Investment Office (OIO) last year to buy the 13,800 ha farm near Taupo for $88 million.

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.