Sources

Where every finding comes from

Lotline reads national public datasets every month, and council hazard maps where a council publishes them under an open licence. Here is each source, and where the council maps stop.

Last updated 29 Sep 2026

National sources

WhatPublisherLicenceDate
Parcels, titles, addresses, road parcels and centrelines, building outlines, rivers 1:50k, protected areas, coastlineLINZ Data ServiceCC BY 4.0each national build
Unformed legal roads (paper roads)Herenga ā Nuku AotearoaCC BY 3.0 NZeach national build
Land cover 1996–2023 (LCDB v6.0)Manaaki Whenua – Landcare ResearchCC BY 4.02025
Rivers (REC 2010) and wetlands (2013)Ministry for the EnvironmentCC BY 3.0 NZ / 4.02010–2013
Elevation for terrain and sun (LiDAR where it exists, else 8 m)LINZ BasemapsCC BY 4.0current
Aerial imageryLINZ BasemapsCC BY 4.0varies by area
Active faults (1:250,000)GNS ScienceCC BY 3.0 NZeach national build
Sea level rise projectionsNZ SeaRise (Antarctic Research Centre VUW, GNS Science, NIWA)CC BY 4.0May 2024
Urban areas, districts, regions, statistical areasStats NZCC BY 4.02025–2026
Māori land status and owner countsMāori Land Court national list; LINZ title registerCC BY 4.030 June 2025; each build
Legislation, status and commencementNZ Legislation API (Parliamentary Counsel Office)Crown copyright, free to reproducechecked daily

National build of 29 Sep 2026: 404,150 rural, lifestyle and urban-fringe blocks.

Council hazard maps, by region

A council map is used only when its licence allows it in a paid report, and each layer is checked by hand. Where a region has none here, the report says the hazard isn’t checked yet and points to the council and the LIM. A hazard that isn’t checked isn’t absent.

RegionBlocksFloodingCoastal inundationLiquefaction
Auckland39,004Auckland Council: flood plains; Auckland Council: flood prone areasAuckland Council: coastal inundation, 1% annual chance; Auckland Council: coastal inundation, 1% annual chance with 1 m of sea level riseNot yet
Bay of Plenty23,519Not yetNot yetNot yet
Canterbury51,187Not yetNot yetChristchurch City Council: liquefaction vulnerability (selected areas); Environment Canterbury: liquefaction susceptibility (greater Christchurch) (selected areas)
Gisborne7,800Not yetNot yetNot yet
Hawke’s Bay18,177Hawke's Bay Regional Council: observed flood extent, February 2023 (Cyclone Gabrielle) (selected areas)Not yetNot yet
Manawatū-Whanganui39,862Not yetNot yetNot yet
Marlborough8,921Not yetNot yetNot yet
Nelson1,052Not yetNelson City Council: coastal flooding, present day (2020)Not yet
Northland46,121Not yetNot yetNot yet
Otago29,470Not yetNot yetNot yet
Southland21,847Not yetNot yetNot yet
Taranaki18,349New Plymouth District Council: district plan flood plain (selected areas)Not yetNot yet
Tasman11,078Not yetNot yetNot yet
Waikato58,494Not yetNot yetNot yet
Wellington18,954Not yetNot yetNot yet
West Coast10,314Not yetNot yetNot yet

Council maps in use

Council and layerDistrictsLicenceChecked
Auckland Council: flood plainsAucklandCC BY 4.0 (Auckland Council open data licence)30 Sep 2026
Auckland Council: flood prone areasAucklandCC BY 4.0 (Auckland Council open data licence)30 Sep 2026
Auckland Council: coastal inundation, 1% annual chanceAucklandCC BY 4.0 (Auckland Council open data licence)30 Sep 2026
Auckland Council: coastal inundation, 1% annual chance with 1 m of sea level riseAucklandCC BY 4.0 (Auckland Council open data licence)30 Sep 2026
Christchurch City Council: liquefaction vulnerabilityChristchurch CityCC BY 4.030 Sep 2026
Environment Canterbury: liquefaction susceptibility (greater Christchurch)Christchurch City, Selwyn District, Waimakariri DistrictCC BY 3.0 NZ (Canterbury Maps open data)30 Sep 2026
Hawke's Bay Regional Council: observed flood extent, February 2023 (Cyclone Gabrielle)Hastings District, Napier City, Wairoa District, Central Hawke's Bay DistrictCC BY 4.030 Sep 2026
New Plymouth District Council: district plan flood plainNew Plymouth DistrictCC BY 4.030 Sep 2026
Nelson City Council: coastal flooding, present day (2020)Nelson CityCC BY 4.030 Sep 2026

Why some councils aren’t here yet

Some councils publish their hazard maps under licences that don’t allow use in a paid report (non-commercial, or no derivatives), or with no licence stated. We ask those councils for permission, and add their maps when they agree.