The Department of Lands and Survey was a former government department in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

that managed the administration of

Crown land Crown land (sometimes spelled crownland), also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an entailed estate and passes with the monarchy, being inseparable from it. ...

and its survey and mapping requirements.

History

Establishment

The department was established in 1876 with the appointment of

John Turnbull Thomson John Turnbull Thomson (10 August 1821 – 16 October 1884) was a British civil engineer and artist who played an instrumental role in the development of the early infrastructure of nineteenth-century Singapore and New Zealand. He lived the last 2 ...

Surveyor-General A surveyor general is an official responsible for government surveying in a specific country or territory. Historically, this would often have been a military appointment, but it is now more likely to be a civilian post. The following surveyor gen ...

. A major expansion took place in 1891 by combining the Department of the Surveyor-General and the Crown Lands Department into one agency. Its existence as an independent agency was consolidated with the passing of the Land Act 1892. Although the two agencies had merged, operationally they functioned separately until 1913. The minister responsible, from 1891, was the

Minister of Lands The Minister of Lands in New Zealand was a cabinet position appointed by the Prime Minister to be in charge of the Department of Lands and Survey. List of ministers The following ministers held the office of Minister of Lands. ;Key Ta ...

. The head of the department initially held the titles of both preceding agencies as the Surveyor-General and Under-Secretary for Lands until 1906. The former post was subsumed by the latter before being renamed Director-General of Lands in 1949.

Functions and responsibilities

The Department of Lands and Survey main duties were administrating and managing Crown land (including walkways, national parks and reserves), surveying and mapping, land development and area planning. The department also administered a number of Statutory Boards which dealt the administration and management of land.

Disestablishment

In April 1987 the department was disestablished as part of significant restructuring of government administration. Its functions were split among three new government departments; the

Department of Conservation An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment ...

, the

Department of Survey and Land Information The Department of Survey and Land Information (DOSLI) is a former department of the New Zealand Government. It was formed in April 1987 as a restructuring of the Department of Lands and Survey. The Department of Lands and Survey was established ...

and

Landcorp Landcorp Farming Limited ("Landcorp") is a state-owned enterprise of the New Zealand government. Its brand name is Pāmu, the Te Reo Māori word 'to farm'. Its core business is pastoral farming including dairy, sheep, beef and deer, as well as ...

(a public company established under the State Owned Enterprises Act).

Notes

References

*{{cite book , title=Department of Lands and Survey - 1876-1976 Centennial , year=1976 , publisher=Department of Lands and Survey , location=

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

, oclc=3542467

External links

Land information handbook
Department of Lands and Survey Former government agencies of New Zealand 1876 establishments in New Zealand 1987 disestablishments in New Zealand