The Land Use Capability (LUC) data
This page contains details about one of the important data layers Manaaki Whenua make available within Our Environment - the Land Use Capability (LUC) classification.
You can view and use the LUC data, without registering and logging in. However some functionality will not be available to you until you login, like saving your pins / features, customising and sharing reports. Registering is quick and easy, and completely free. To register, click here.
For general help with the site, such as map navigation, search, print etc. click here to go to our First Time Here section.
Quick Links
Use one of the links below to jump to what you're keen to learn about.
About the LUC
Highly Productive Land
Revised data
Viewing the LUC
Legend, Metadata & Report panels
How to get access to LUC reports
Downloading the data
About the LUC
The LUC is a system in use in New Zealand since the 1950s to try and achieve sustainable land development and management on rural land. It rates the ability of an area to sustain primary production, based on an assessment of factors including rock type, soil, slope, vegetation, climate, the effects of past land use, and the potential for erosion. The system classifies all of New Zealand's rural land into one of eight classes, based on the aforementioned physical characteristics and attributes.
The LUC Unit is the most detailed component of the LUC Classification. LUC Units group together areas where similar land characteristics and attributes have been mapped, which require the same kind of management, the same kind of conservation treatment and are suitable for the same kind of crops, pasture or forestry species.
Highly Productive Land
In October 2022 after the release of the National Policy Statement (NPS) for Highly Productive Land (HPL) an HPL layer was added to Our Environment. In the first instance, HPL is represented as Land Use Capability classes 1, 2 and 3, as mapped in the New Zealand Land Resource Inventory. The actual boundaries of Highly Productive Land in a particular location will differ to NZLRI LUC classes 1, 2 and 3 depending on relevant council rural and urban zoning boundaries as defined in the NPS-HPL (refer to section 3.5) and to your local council for this information.
By late 2025 it is expected that each regional council will have remapped the extent of HPL for their region, following the requirements in the NPS for HPL (refer to section 3.4). When this is done that updated regional map will replace the NZLRI LUC map presented here. Please refer to your local council for this information.
Full information on the National Policy Statement for Highly Productive Land is available here.
Revised data
A description and information relevant to each classified LUC Unit is documented in a "legend". Historically these legends were regionally based with regional LUC Units. This was the data available in Our Environment until the end of 2021.
In the December 2021 version of Our Environment, revised LUC unit classification data was added to the LUC layer based on a new national extended legend that reconciles regional units and updates descriptions to contemporary knowledge. Because the original LUC extended legends were prepared independently by region, some LUC codes were used inconsistently nationally. So, while LUC class and dominant limitation should always be used consistently between regions, the numeric reference to units were not reconciled between regions. For example, a 3e1 in Eastern Bay of Plenty equates to a 3e2 in the Gisborne region. The revised layer now reconciles these discrepancies as well as using improved and nationally consistent LUC unit descriptions from the new national LUC extended legend. These new LUC unit codes, along with the original regional (legacy) LUC unit codes can be found when a point report is generated for the LUC layer. The legacy codes are visible in the "Historic regional units" section in the report so users familiar with the legacy codes can see what changes have been made.
Viewing the LUC layer
When you first use the mapping tool, or when you use the ADD/REMOVE LAYERS button in the MY LAYERS panel, you will be presented with a popup window and asked to select one or more environmental science layers to view on the map. The LUC data is available in the "Topic" tab, in the "About Land Capability" section > "What is the land capable of being used for?". The LUC layer can also be selected in the "Category" tab > "Land Capability" > "Land Use Capability", or the "Source" tab > "NZ Land Resource Inventory" > "Land Use Capability". These three methods to add the LUC data are pictured below.
Note – if you click on the ‘Land Use Capability Maps’ icon on the home page of Our Environment, the mapping tool will open with the data layers comprising the Land Capability group visible.
Fig. 1. Configure your map with the LUC layer.
Legend, Metadata & Report panels
A brief description of the LUC data can be viewed in the METADATA panel. If this panel is populated with another layer's information, selecting the Land Use Capability layer in the MY LAYERS panel will display the LUC metadata. The LEGEND panel shows the map key, and information relating to each of the LUC's classes. LUC classes can be switched on and off in the MY LAYERS panel. Reporting tools are available in the REPORTS panel (further details in next section).
Fig. 2. LUC layer loaded on the map, with legend and metadata panels displaying additional information.
LUC Reports
You can view a report for the LUC in the GET REPORTS / FEATURE REPORT panel (Fig.3).
You can obtain LUC reports either for a single location, for an area you define yourself on the map, the current map extent (window), or for areas (polygons) you select on the map from either the LINZ property boundaries, Māori Land Blocks, Territorial Authorities or the Regional Councils layers.
Step 1) If you haven't already done so, choose the LUC layer to display on the map. Reports are displayed faster if you have zoomed in to a small area on the map.
Step 2) Choose what you want the LUC report to be based upon. Choices are: 
Drop pin on map, 
Draw area on map, 
Use map extent, or "Predefined features", such as polygons you select from LINZ Parcels, Māori Land Blocks, Territorial Authorities or Regional Councils.
Step 2a) DROP PIN: the report will be generated by you clicking on a location on the map. A pin marker will appear on the map at the location you have clicked.
Step 2b) MAP EXTENT: the report will be generated using the current visible extent, in the map window. Choosing this option will then generate a report for the map extent.
Step 2c) AN AREA YOU DRAW: the report will be generated using an area defined/drawn by you. If you choose this option you need to define your area by clicking multiple times around the map to create a custom area. You should use the mouse to draw an area on the map.
- Click on the map to add a point and begin drawing
- Subsequent clicks will add additional points
- Click back close to the starting point, or double click anywhere, to finish and generate a report.
Step 2d) "Predefined features": the report will be generated from the selected LINZ property boundary / Māori Land Block / Territorial Authority (TA) or Regional Council (RC). Choosing this option will switch on the corresponding layer (if not currently on) and it will be displayed on the map. You must then tap on the map within the area you want included in the report. The area you have selected will be highlighted. A report will be generated for that area.
If you tap on additional parcel / area, they will be highlighted and the values will be added to the report.
To remove a parcel / area from the report, tap inside the parcel / area again to deselect it. To deselect all parcels / areas and start again, tap START AGAIN.
Note that the LINZ property boundaries and Māori Land Block layers are best viewed at a large scale (zoomed in), perhaps at 1:25,000, although for very rural areas you will probably need to view the map at smaller scales (more zoomed out). Similarly, the Territorial Authorities and Regional Councils layers are best viewed at smaller scales (zoomed out), perhaps at 1:2,000,000. Below the generated report, there is a switch which allows you to show / hide the layer in question.
Once the report has been requested using one of the above methods, this panel will change to FEATURE REPORT and a report preview will appear. The form of this report depends which type of report has been chosen. For example, if you chose "Drop pin on map", a textual report will appear listing LUC attributes about that location, key properties, the Easting/Northing coordinates for that location, and an approximate height. If you chose "Draw area on map" or one of the predefined features options, the report preview will be in the form of a chart, with information relating to the LUC classes for that area.
Fig. 3. GET REPORTS panel becomes FEATURE REPORT panel, after report is generated.
Select the BACK button to go back to Step 2.
Step 3) Full Report: Click the "Generate full report" button, and a more detailed LUC report will be generated for the location / area you have defined. The report will appear in a new window an example of which can be seen below in Figs. 4 / 5. After you close the report window the report will be accessible in your MY FEATURES panel.
Fig. 4. LUC Report window - Part 1.
Fig. 5. LUC Report window - Part 2.
In this window you can interact with the report in a variety of ways:
- Edit the report title - Click button to go into edit mode, and edit text in the grey box at the top of the report.
- View the location / area of the report in a mini map in the top right of the report window.
- Add / remove data layers to / from the report - Click on the "Add/remove layers" button, and check / uncheck required layers from the resultant window.
- Change the data visualisation type by clicking on the buttons directly above the chart - choose from Bar, Tree, Bubble or Table.
- Generate a shareable link to the report by clicking the button.
- Print the report by clicking the button and following the instructions in the print window dialog.
Important things to be aware of:
- The larger the geographic extent of the map, the longer it will take for the report to be calculated and the report displayed. In some cases, because of the complexity of the underlying data, the reporting tool will not work if the map is displaying a very large geographic extent.
Download the data
We provide a link, Obtain Data in the Layer METADATA if you wish to download the underlying LUC data. If you click on the link, the relevant page on Manaaki Whenua's LRIS Portal will appear in a new browser window.
The Land Use Capability (LUC) data
This page contains details about one of the important data layers Manaaki Whenua make available within Our Environment - the Land Use Capability (LUC) classification.
You can view and use the LUC data, without registering and logging in. However some functionality will not be available to you until you login, like saving your pins / features, customising and sharing reports. Registering is quick and easy, and completely free. To register, click here.
For general help with the site, such as map navigation, search, print etc. click here to go to our First Time Here section.
Quick Links
Use one of the links below to jump to what you're keen to learn about.
About the LUC
Highly Productive Land
Revised data
Viewing the LUC
Legend, Metadata & Report panels
How to get access to LUC reports
Downloading the data
About the LUC
The LUC is a system in use in New Zealand since the 1950s to try and achieve sustainable land development and management on rural land. It rates the ability of an area to sustain primary production, based on an assessment of factors including rock type, soil, slope, vegetation, climate, the effects of past land use, and the potential for erosion. The system classifies all of New Zealand's rural land into one of eight classes, based on the aforementioned physical characteristics and attributes.
The LUC Unit is the most detailed component of the LUC Classification. LUC Units group together areas where similar land characteristics and attributes have been mapped, which require the same kind of management, the same kind of conservation treatment and are suitable for the same kind of crops, pasture or forestry species.
Highly Productive Land
In October 2022 after the release of the National Policy Statement (NPS) for Highly Productive Land (HPL) an HPL layer was added to Our Environment. In the first instance, HPL is represented as Land Use Capability classes 1, 2 and 3, as mapped in the New Zealand Land Resource Inventory. The actual boundaries of Highly Productive Land in a particular location will differ to NZLRI LUC classes 1, 2 and 3 depending on relevant council rural and urban zoning boundaries as defined in the NPS-HPL (refer to section 3.5) and to your local council for this information.
By late 2025 it is expected that each regional council will have remapped the extent of HPL for their region, following the requirements in the NPS for HPL (refer to section 3.4). When this is done that updated regional map will replace the NZLRI LUC map presented here. Please refer to your local council for this information.
Full information on the National Policy Statement for Highly Productive Land is available here.
Revised data
A description and information relevant to each classified LUC Unit is documented in a "legend". Historically these legends were regionally based with regional LUC Units. This was the data available in Our Environment until the end of 2021.
In the December 2021 version of Our Environment, revised LUC unit classification data was added to the LUC layer based on a new national extended legend that reconciles regional units and updates descriptions to contemporary knowledge. Because the original LUC extended legends were prepared independently by region, some LUC codes were used inconsistently nationally. So, while LUC class and dominant limitation should always be used consistently between regions, the numeric reference to units were not reconciled between regions. For example, a 3e1 in Eastern Bay of Plenty equates to a 3e2 in the Gisborne region. The revised layer now reconciles these discrepancies as well as using improved and nationally consistent LUC unit descriptions from the new national LUC extended legend. These new LUC unit codes, along with the original regional (legacy) LUC unit codes can be found when a point report is generated for the LUC layer. The legacy codes are visible in the "Historic regional units" section in the report so users familiar with the legacy codes can see what changes have been made.
Viewing the LUC layer
When you first use the mapping tool, or when you use the ADD/REMOVE LAYERS button in the MY LAYERS panel, you will be presented with a popup window and asked to select one or more environmental science layers to view on the map. The LUC data is available in the "Topic" tab, in the "About Land Capability" section > "What is the land capable of being used for?". The LUC layer can also be selected in the "Category" tab > "Land Capability" > "Land Use Capability", or the "Source" tab > "NZ Land Resource Inventory" > "Land Use Capability". These three methods to add the LUC data are pictured below.
Fig. 1. Configure your map with the LUC layer.
Legend, Metadata & Report panels
A brief description of the LUC data can be viewed in the METADATA panel. If this panel is populated with another layer's information, selecting the Land Use Capability layer in the MY LAYERS panel will display the LUC metadata. The LEGEND panel shows the map key, and information relating to each of the LUC's classes. LUC classes can be switched on and off in the MY LAYERS panel. Reporting tools are available in the REPORTS panel (further details in next section).
Fig. 2. LUC layer loaded on the map, with legend and metadata panels displaying additional information.
LUC Reports
You can view a report for the LUC in the GET REPORTS / FEATURE REPORT panel (Fig.3).
You can obtain LUC reports either for a single location, for an area you define yourself on the map, the current map extent (window), or for areas (polygons) you select on the map from either the LINZ property boundaries, Māori Land Blocks, Territorial Authorities or the Regional Councils layers.
Step 1) If you haven't already done so, choose the LUC layer to display on the map. Reports are displayed faster if you have zoomed in to a small area on the map.
Step 2) Choose what you want the LUC report to be based upon. Choices are: Drop pin on map, Draw area on map, Use map extent, or "Predefined features", such as polygons you select from LINZ Parcels, Māori Land Blocks, Territorial Authorities or Regional Councils.
Step 2a) DROP PIN: the report will be generated by you clicking on a location on the map. A pin marker will appear on the map at the location you have clicked.
Step 2b) MAP EXTENT: the report will be generated using the current visible extent, in the map window. Choosing this option will then generate a report for the map extent.
Step 2c) AN AREA YOU DRAW: the report will be generated using an area defined/drawn by you. If you choose this option you need to define your area by clicking multiple times around the map to create a custom area. You should use the mouse to draw an area on the map.
- Click on the map to add a point and begin drawing
- Subsequent clicks will add additional points
- Click back close to the starting point, or double click anywhere, to finish and generate a report.
Step 2d) "Predefined features": the report will be generated from the selected LINZ property boundary / Māori Land Block / Territorial Authority (TA) or Regional Council (RC). Choosing this option will switch on the corresponding layer (if not currently on) and it will be displayed on the map. You must then tap on the map within the area you want included in the report. The area you have selected will be highlighted. A report will be generated for that area.
If you tap on additional parcel / area, they will be highlighted and the values will be added to the report.
To remove a parcel / area from the report, tap inside the parcel / area again to deselect it. To deselect all parcels / areas and start again, tap START AGAIN.
Note that the LINZ property boundaries and Māori Land Block layers are best viewed at a large scale (zoomed in), perhaps at 1:25,000, although for very rural areas you will probably need to view the map at smaller scales (more zoomed out). Similarly, the Territorial Authorities and Regional Councils layers are best viewed at smaller scales (zoomed out), perhaps at 1:2,000,000. Below the generated report, there is a switch which allows you to show / hide the layer in question.
Once the report has been requested using one of the above methods, this panel will change to FEATURE REPORT and a report preview will appear. The form of this report depends which type of report has been chosen. For example, if you chose "Drop pin on map", a textual report will appear listing LUC attributes about that location, key properties, the Easting/Northing coordinates for that location, and an approximate height. If you chose "Draw area on map" or one of the predefined features options, the report preview will be in the form of a chart, with information relating to the LUC classes for that area.
Fig. 3. GET REPORTS panel becomes FEATURE REPORT panel, after report is generated.
Select the BACK button to go back to Step 2.
Step 3) Full Report: Click the "Generate full report" button, and a more detailed LUC report will be generated for the location / area you have defined. The report will appear in a new window an example of which can be seen below in Figs. 4 / 5. After you close the report window the report will be accessible in your MY FEATURES panel.
Fig. 4. LUC Report window - Part 1.
Fig. 5. LUC Report window - Part 2.
In this window you can interact with the report in a variety of ways:
- Edit the report title - Click button to go into edit mode, and edit text in the grey box at the top of the report.
- View the location / area of the report in a mini map in the top right of the report window.
- Add / remove data layers to / from the report - Click on the "Add/remove layers" button, and check / uncheck required layers from the resultant window.
- Change the data visualisation type by clicking on the buttons directly above the chart - choose from Bar, Tree, Bubble or Table.
- Generate a shareable link to the report by clicking the button.
- Print the report by clicking the button and following the instructions in the print window dialog.
Important things to be aware of:
- The larger the geographic extent of the map, the longer it will take for the report to be calculated and the report displayed. In some cases, because of the complexity of the underlying data, the reporting tool will not work if the map is displaying a very large geographic extent.
Download the data
We provide a link, Obtain Data in the Layer METADATA if you wish to download the underlying LUC data. If you click on the link, the relevant page on Manaaki Whenua's LRIS Portal will appear in a new browser window.
The Land Use Capability (LUC) data
This page contains details about one of the important data layers Manaaki Whenua make available within Our Environment - the Land Use Capability (LUC) classification.
You can view and use the LUC data, without registering and logging in. However some functionality will not be available to you until you login, like saving your pins / features, customising and sharing reports. Registering is quick and easy, and completely free. To register, click here.
For general help with the site, such as map navigation, search, print etc. click here to go to our First Time Here section.
Quick Links
Use one of the links below to jump to what you're keen to learn about.
About the LUC
Highly Productive Land
Revised data
Viewing the LUC
Legend, Metadata & Report panels
How to get access to LUC reports
Downloading the data
About the LUC
The LUC is a system in use in New Zealand since the 1950s to try and achieve sustainable land development and management on rural land. It rates the ability of an area to sustain primary production, based on an assessment of factors including rock type, soil, slope, vegetation, climate, the effects of past land use, and the potential for erosion. The system classifies all of New Zealand's rural land into one of eight classes, based on the aforementioned physical characteristics and attributes.
The LUC Unit is the most detailed component of the LUC Classification. LUC Units group together areas where similar land characteristics and attributes have been mapped, which require the same kind of management, the same kind of conservation treatment and are suitable for the same kind of crops, pasture or forestry species.
Highly Productive Land
In October 2022 after the release of the National Policy Statement (NPS) for Highly Productive Land (HPL) an HPL layer was added to Our Environment. In the first instance, HPL is represented as Land Use Capability classes 1, 2 and 3, as mapped in the New Zealand Land Resource Inventory. The actual boundaries of Highly Productive Land in a particular location will differ to NZLRI LUC classes 1, 2 and 3 depending on relevant council rural and urban zoning boundaries as defined in the NPS-HPL (refer to section 3.5) and to your local council for this information.
By late 2025 it is expected that each regional council will have remapped the extent of HPL for their region, following the requirements in the NPS for HPL (refer to section 3.4). When this is done that updated regional map will replace the NZLRI LUC map presented here. Please refer to your local council for this information.
Full information on the National Policy Statement for Highly Productive Land is available here.
Revised data
A description and information relevant to each classified LUC Unit is documented in a "legend". Historically these legends were regionally based with regional LUC Units. This was the data available in Our Environment until the end of 2021.
In the December 2021 version of Our Environment, revised LUC unit classification data was added to the LUC layer based on a new national extended legend that reconciles regional units and updates descriptions to contemporary knowledge. Because the original LUC extended legends were prepared independently by region, some LUC codes were used inconsistently nationally. So, while LUC class and dominant limitation should always be used consistently between regions, the numeric reference to units were not reconciled between regions. For example, a 3e1 in Eastern Bay of Plenty equates to a 3e2 in the Gisborne region. The revised layer now reconciles these discrepancies as well as using improved and nationally consistent LUC unit descriptions from the new national LUC extended legend. These new LUC unit codes, along with the original regional (legacy) LUC unit codes can be found when a point report is generated for the LUC layer. The legacy codes are visible in the "Historic regional units" section in the report so users familiar with the legacy codes can see what changes have been made.
Viewing the LUC layer
When you first use the mapping tool, or when you use the ADD/REMOVE LAYERS button in the MY LAYERS panel, you will be presented with a popup window and asked to select one or more environmental science layers to view on the map. The LUC data is available in the "Topic" tab, in the "About Land Capability" section > "What is the land capable of being used for?". The LUC layer can also be selected in the "Category" tab > "Land Capability" > "Land Use Capability", or the "Source" tab > "NZ Land Resource Inventory" > "Land Use Capability". These three methods to add the LUC data are pictured below.
Fig. 1. Configure your map with the LUC layer.
Legend, Metadata & Report panels
A brief description of the LUC data can be viewed in the METADATA panel. If this panel is populated with another layer's information, selecting the Land Use Capability layer in the MY LAYERS panel will display the LUC metadata. The LEGEND panel shows the map key, and information relating to each of the LUC's classes. LUC classes can be switched on and off in the MY LAYERS panel. Reporting tools are available in the REPORTS panel (further details in next section).
Fig. 2. LUC layer loaded on the map, with legend and metadata panels displaying additional information.
LUC Reports
You can view a report for the LUC in the GET REPORTS / FEATURE REPORT panel (Fig.3).
You can obtain LUC reports either for a single location, for an area you define yourself on the map, the current map extent (window), or for areas (polygons) you select on the map from either the LINZ property boundaries, Māori Land Blocks, Territorial Authorities or the Regional Councils layers.
Step 1) If you haven't already done so, choose the LUC layer to display on the map. Reports are displayed faster if you have zoomed in to a small area on the map.
Step 2) Choose what you want the LUC report to be based upon. Choices are: Drop pin on map, Draw area on map, Use map extent, or "Predefined features", such as polygons you select from LINZ Parcels, Māori Land Blocks, Territorial Authorities or Regional Councils.
Step 2a) DROP PIN: the report will be generated by you clicking on a location on the map. A pin marker will appear on the map at the location you have clicked.
Step 2b) MAP EXTENT: the report will be generated using the current visible extent, in the map window. Choosing this option will then generate a report for the map extent.
Step 2c) AN AREA YOU DRAW: the report will be generated using an area defined/drawn by you. If you choose this option you need to define your area by clicking multiple times around the map to create a custom area. You should use the mouse to draw an area on the map.
- Click on the map to add a point and begin drawing
- Subsequent clicks will add additional points
- Click back close to the starting point, or double click anywhere, to finish and generate a report.
Step 2d) "Predefined features": the report will be generated from the selected LINZ property boundary / Māori Land Block / Territorial Authority (TA) or Regional Council (RC). Choosing this option will switch on the corresponding layer (if not currently on) and it will be displayed on the map. You must then click on the map within the area you want included in the report. The area you have selected will be highlighted. A report will be generated for that area.
If you click on additional parcel / area, they will be highlighted and the values will be added to the report.
To remove a parcel / area from the report, click inside the parcel / area again to deselect it. To deselect all parcels / areas and start again, click on START AGAIN.
Note that the LINZ property boundaries and Māori Land Block layers are best viewed at a large scale (zoomed in), perhaps at 1:25,000, although for very rural areas you will probably need to view the map at smaller scales (more zoomed out). Similarly, the Territorial Authorities and Regional Councils layers are best viewed at smaller scales (zoomed out), perhaps at 1:2,000,000. Below the generated report, there is a switch which allows you to show / hide the layer in question.
Once the report has been requested using one of the above methods, this panel will change to FEATURE REPORT and a report preview will appear. The form of this report depends which type of report has been chosen. For example, if you chose "Drop pin on map", a textual report will appear listing LUC attributes about that location, key properties, the Easting/Northing coordinates for that location, and an approximate height. If you chose "Draw area on map" or one of the predefined features options, the report preview will be in the form of a chart, with information relating to the LUC classes for that area.
Fig. 3. GET REPORTS panel becomes FEATURE REPORT panel, after report is generated.
Select the BACK button to go back to Step 2.
Step 3) Full Report: Click the "Generate full report" button, and a more detailed LUC report will be generated for the location / area you have defined. The report will appear in a new window an example of which can be seen below in Figs. 4 / 5. After you close the report window the report will be accessible in your MY FEATURES panel.
Fig. 4. LUC Report window - Part 1.
Fig. 5. LUC Report window - Part 2.
In this window you can interact with the report in a variety of ways:
- Edit the report title - Click button to go into edit mode, and edit text in the grey box at the top of the report.
- View the location / area of the report in a mini map in the top right of the report window.
- Add / remove data layers to / from the report - Click on the "Add/remove layers" button, and check / uncheck required layers from the resultant window.
- Change the data visualisation type by clicking on the buttons directly above the chart - choose from Bar, Tree, Bubble or Table.
- Generate a shareable link to the report by clicking the button.
- Print the report by clicking the button and following the instructions in the print window dialog.
Important things to be aware of:
- The larger the geographic extent of the map, the longer it will take for the report to be calculated and the report displayed. In some cases, because of the complexity of the underlying data, the reporting tool will not work if the map is displaying a very large geographic extent.
Download the data
We provide a link, Obtain Data in the Layer METADATA if you wish to download the underlying LUC data. If you click on the link, the relevant page on Manaaki Whenua's LRIS Portal will appear in a new browser window.