FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions

Subdivision requires resource consent, and so is governed mostly by the Local Authority District Plan rules applicable to the zone in which your property lies. Depending on the zone rules, there may be a number of options available to subdivide. A “non-complying” application may also be a possibility in some instances. We are happy to review your property, in relation to the applicable zone rules, and provide feedback to you on the development potential that may exist for your site.

You will need resource consent if you want to: Adjust the boundaries between two properties. Convert cross-lease title to fee simple title. Amend cross-lease boundaries (eg add a deck or extend floor area). Undertake a subdivision to create one or more new sites. Additionally, you may need to obtain land use consent if you want to: Build a house or shed on a property subject to special zone rules – eg within Outstanding Natural Landscape or High Natural Character Zones. Construct a minor dwelling or second dwelling. Infringe on the yard requirements for a site. Undertake earthworks beyond the allowable thresholds for the subject zone. Once granted, your resource consent will have an expiry date which is typically 5 years from the date of issue, providing flexibility for when you complete it. Larger time frames may be able to be achieved if required. Whatever your intended activity, we can make an assessment of the District Plan rules, and advise if you will need to obtain consent or not.

There are many factors that need to be considered, such as: The type of consent(s) required. The complexity of application/level of compliance with district plan controls/rules. Level of specialist input required to support the project (eg Civil, Geotechnical, Ecological, Landscape, Traffic, Archaeology, Legal). Council’s development contributions. The number of new sites being proposed. The level of physical works required to service the development – eg earthworks, roads/accessways, power, telephone, water, sanitary sewer, stormwater, fencing, revegetation planting etc. We are happy to discuss your proposal with you and provide some general figures to guide initial budgeting based on the answers to the above questions. A more accurate cost estimate can be prepared as the development/scope progresses.

Subdivision involves several main processes: Together with you, we prepare a scheme plan showing the proposed boundaries. Together with a site visit, sometimes there is enough information available online for this. If not, we will complete a topographical survey or fly the site with one of our UAV’s. Prepare & lodge a subdivision application (and possibly a land use application) with Council. This will assess all effects, and normally requires input from our specialists whom we will liaise with. Council will process the application and possibly raise RFI’s, which we will respond to. If consent is approved, any physical site works required by the conditions of consent need to be completed. We complete the boundary pegging survey (Land Transfer survey). We apply to Council for final approvals (s223 & s224c certificates). We lodge the survey dataset with LINZ. Together with your lawyer, final arrangements are made for new titles to issue. The complexity/time required for each process depends on what type of subdivision you are completing, its size/nature, and how many physical conditions are imposed by the Council as conditions of your consent. Some steps can be completed in parallel with others, while some need to happen before the next can occur.

Yes. Because of the sometimes complex nature of the subdivision process, we are happy to manage the project for you. Once the consent is obtained, we can liaise/coordinate with the respective service providers, contractors, and engineers to see that the consent conditions are met. We can also coordinate the approvals process with Council, and we are directly involved in completing the Land Transfer survey and obtaining LINZ approvals.

This will depend on the type & nature of your proposal, as well as Council processing timeframes. A boundary adjustment may be completed and titles issued within 4-6 months, while a subdivision may take anywhere from 6-9 months to many years to complete. It depends on how much work is required, and what conditions of consent are imposed by Council that you must complete. We are happy to discuss your proposal with you and give you a broad indication of likely project timeframes.

A Transferrable Rural Site Subdivision, (TRSS), or “Transferrable Title” as they are commonly known, is a provision within Auckland Council Unitary Plan (AUP) whereby a Significant Ecological feature, quality native bush, revegetation and/or wetland is legally protected in perpetuity on a “Donor Site” located in a rural zone. The “right” to create a Rural Lifestyle site is then sold to an owner of a “Receiver Site” which must be located within the Countryside Living Zone. Under current AUP Rules, an application for the “Receiver Site” needs to be submitted to Council at the same time as the “Donor Site” application. The legal protection of the feature(s) on the Donor Site will require fulfilment of matters such as (but not limited to): Stock proof fencing, weed and pest control, revegetation planting, ongoing monitoring and maintenance, and legal covenants. Once completed, the natural features cannot be used again in future to generate title rights.

To amend a Cross Lease, firstly Council consent (Resource Consent) is required. Once obtained, a survey needs to be undertaken to define the extent of the new lease boundaries, and official record plans prepared and lodged with Land Information NZ (LINZ). Following approval of these plans, your solicitor will update the Cross Lease Titles.

A topographical survey will measure and identify all site features, including the contours of a site. It is used to provide the base data for the design of construction projects – eg new house/shed/pool/accessway etc. If you have a project in mind, check with your design team. Having robust, accurate data available at the design phase, means they can proceed with confidence, resulting in less amendments, quantities can be more accurately estimated, and there are less surprises on-site during construction. A high-quality topographical survey can eliminate guesswork with regard to matters like height-to-boundary infringements, earthwork quantities, finished floor level requirements, datum issues, location of services and so on.

All our clients are presented with a client engagement contract, which sets out our terms of service. Typically, most jobs will be charged on a time and disbursement basis. Due to the many variables involved in land surveying, generally an estimate, as opposed to a quote, will be provided, as the exact time required to complete a job is sometimes difficult to predict. A fixed quote can be provided if your project requires it.

Depending on the nature of your project, we may be able to use one of our UAV’s, to carry out the survey. We use UAV’s when acquiring up-to-date high-resolution aerial photography of properties, which can have cadastral (boundary) information overlaid, and accurate measurements taken from them. In some cases the features requiring measuring would be difficult/unsafe to access, resulting in costly on-ground survey solutions. UAV allows us to bypass many of these issues. Specialist software also allows us to extract other useable data, such as 3D point cloud information, position data, general level and contour information, and even 3D rendering of a site. Up to date imagery of a site can provide a level of understanding to a project that is not always possible without it. At Buckton we have Part 101 and Part 102 Certification from CAA NZ, allowing us to carry out a number of UAV operations not able to be legally undertaken by the general public, safely and in compliance with CAA Rules.

It is common for building consent to require a “siting certificate”. This is a written assurance from a Licensed Cadastral Surveyor that a building has been positioned correctly on-site, as per the building consent drawings. To satisfy this condition, we need to “set out” the building prior to construction commencing. This involves reviewing the design plans, generating real-world coordinates for the footprint of the building, and transferring these to the site, via a survey. Sometimes a benchmark or datum is also required to be established to assist the builder. We will generally be guided by the builder as to the level of detail needed in the setout. We can assist in setting out other items, such as the extent of earthworks, alignment of roads/accessways, infrastructure (pipes/drainage), and even marking out boundaries for fencing or other works.

An as-built survey is carried out to locate the extent and location of a completed construction project. Generally, it is used to provide an accurate record of the critical details of the construction project, such as position, alignment, depth, volume, gradient, extent, composition etc. As-built surveys are a common consent requirement, especially when new public infrastructure is being installed. New Council regulations require as-built surveys to be certified by a Licensed Cadastral Surveyor or a Registered Professional Surveyor.

Yes. Using UAV & GPS technology, we can provide a Farm Map of your farm, providing details of a range of property information, including the size and layout of paddocks, location of gates/fences/troughs/tanks, extent/area of pasture, bush, wetlands, streams and other natural features, property boundary overlays, positions of buildings, accessways and other infrastructure. This information can be invaluable for farm planning, compliance and monitoring.