Changes to natural hazard reporting in LIMs
Published on September 08, 2025
New Government rules have changed what natural hazard information is included and how it is shown in Land Information Memorandums (LIMs).
A LIM is a report you can get on a residential or commercial property which helps buyers and sellers make informed decisions.
Councils are now required to include all information about natural hazards known to them in LIMs, including information held by other agencies (e.g. regional councils or central government), with references or links to those sources where available.
This includes hazards such as:
- flooding
- erosion
- landslides
- coastal inundation and sea level rise
- earthquake and liquefaction risk.
The July 2025 amendment to the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, along with the new regulations, is designed to make LIM reports more useful for property owners and buyers.
Horowhenua District Council chief executive Monique Davidson says these changes give councils greater confidence to share a fuller picture of natural hazard information, including clearer explanations and links to information from other agencies.
“The result is that property buyers can access reliable and easy-to-understand reports, helping them make well-informed decisions,” she says.
The regulations, which come into effect in October, also set out clear standards for how natural hazard information should be summarised and presented, creating more consistency across LIMs from different councils. This means customers will benefit from reports that are clearer, easier to navigate, and more comparable, no matter where in New Zealand they are looking to buy.
“We are hopeful that these changes, brought in by central Government, will help buyers and sellers of property with their decision making, as well as helping owners of property feel informed about the risk of natural hazards affecting their property.
“You may not notice too many changes in your LIMs going forward, as we have always aimed to provide clear and comprehensive information, but we want to make sure you stay up to date and well informed,” Mrs Davidson says.