Local purpose reserves are a type of New Zealand protected area established under the

Reserves Act 1977 The Reserves Act 1977 is an Act of Parliament passed in New Zealand. It is administered by the Department of Conservation It contains provisions for the acquisition, control, management, maintenance, development and use of public reserves. Ty ...

. Unlike other forms of reserve established under the act, they do not need to have a specific

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and manageme ...

purpose. Many are owned by

councils A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/ shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...

. Under the legislation, local purpose reserves can be created for a "utility, road, street, access way, esplanade, service lane, playcentre, kindergarten, plunket room, or other like purpose".Reserves Act 1977 s.16
/ref> They include quarry reserves,

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

reserves, aerodrome reserves, and water reserves to protect reservoir catchments.

Esplanade reserves

Esplanade reserves are strips of land beside the sea, rivers and lakes. Historically, many esplanade reserves were wide when they were created, often known as the ' Queen's

Chain A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. A c ...

'. Under the

Resource Management Act 1991 The Resource Management Act (RMA) passed in 1991 in New Zealand is a significant, and at times, controversial Act of Parliament. The RMA promotes the sustainable management of natural and physical resources such as land, air and water. New Zea ...

, esplanade reserves must contribute to the protection of conservation values, by supporting the natural functioning of an adjacent waterway, its water quality, aquatic habitats, natural values, mitigating natural hazards, or allowing public access if access is compatible with conservation values. District plans can require esplanade reserves for subdivisions of a certain size, and stipulate the width the reserves they must be.

References

{{Protected areas of New Zealand Protected areas of New Zealand