Planning Services

A fascinating book, “Kairuri, The Measurer of Land” by Nola Easedale was first published in 1988 which documented the life of the 19^th Century Surveyors in NZ, pictured through their art and writings.

As settlements grew throughout NZ there was an increasing need for a planning regime that both planned for and controlled the use and subdivision of land. From the mid 1950’s through to the late 1980’s the Town and Country Planning Acts were the primary town planning legislation. One of the requirements of this legislation was that only a Surveyor could submit a Scheme Plan of subdivision to a local authority. Not only did this require all the draughting and measurement skills of Surveyors, it also required an intimate knowledge of local planning rules.

After large scale reform the Town and Country Planning Act was replaced with the Resource Management Act, which also integrated the management of freshwater, air and other resources.

To this day, Surveyors are not only trained in the science of measurement, but also in Resource management planning, and Civil Engineering. These 3 skills provide NZ trained Surveyors with all the knowledge and expertise to prepare planning applications, design civil works, and undertake Land transfer Surveys.