Search using your property address to find its land zone and technical category.
Use the Property Search(external link) tool to find out the land zone and technical category for your property.
Land classified as green means that homes are suitable for repair and rebuild.
Some properties in the green zone have experienced liquefaction-related land damage and considerable settlement during the sequence of Canterbury earthquakes. While land in the green zone is still generally considered suitable for residential construction, houses in some areas will need more robust foundations or site foundation design where foundation repairs or rebuilding are required.
Technical Category 1 (TC1, grey) means that future land damage from liquefaction is unlikely. You can use standard foundations for concrete slabs or timber floors. Detailed information about foundation requirements is available on the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) website(external link).
The above zoning information is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of publishing.
Land classified as green means that homes are suitable for repair and rebuild.
Some properties in the green zone have experienced liquefaction-related land damage and considerable settlement during the sequence of Canterbury earthquakes. While land in the green zone is still generally considered suitable for residential construction, houses in some areas will need more robust foundations or site foundation design where foundation repairs or rebuilding are required.
Technical Category 2 (TC2, yellow) means that minor to moderate land damage from liquefaction is possible in future significant earthquakes. You can use standard timber piled foundations for houses with lightweight cladding and roofing and suspended timber floors or enhanced concrete foundations. Detailed information about foundation requirements is available on the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) website(external link).
The above zoning information is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of publishing.
Land classified as green means that homes are suitable for repair and rebuild.
Some properties in the green zone have experienced liquefaction-related land damage and considerable settlement during the sequence of Canterbury earthquakes. While land in the green zone is still generally considered suitable for residential construction, houses in some areas will need more robust foundations or site foundation design where foundation repairs or rebuilding are required.
Technical Category 3 (TC3, blue) means that moderate to significant land damage from liquefaction is possible in future significant earthquakes. Site-specific geotechnical investigation and specific engineering foundation design is required. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for homes in Technical Category 3 (TC3) that require repairs to foundations or need to be rebuilt. Foundations designed for homes in TC3 will be site-specific and may involve deep foundation piles.
A site-specific geotechnical investigation will identify the best foundation design for your property to reduce the risk of injury to people and damage to your property in future earthquakes. Detailed information about foundation requirements is available on the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) website(external link).
The above zoning information is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of publishing.
Technical Category not applicable means that non-residential properties in urban areas, properties in rural areas or beyond the extent of land damage mapping have not been given a Technical Category. Properties in parts of the Port Hills and Banks Peninsula have also not been given a Technical Category. This is because properties in the hill areas have always required a site-specific foundation design and are not generally subject to liquefaction or lateral spread.
Sometimes referred to as the green zone, some properties in the green zone have experienced liquefaction-related land damage and considerable settlement during the sequence of Canterbury earthquakes. While land in the green zone is still generally considered suitable for residential construction, houses in some areas will need more robust foundations or site foundation design where foundation repairs or rebuilding are required.
Normal consenting procedures will apply in these areas.
The above zoning information is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of publishing.
For properties in the flat land residential red zone areas, being zoned red means that the land has been so badly damaged by the earthquakes it is unlikely that it can be rebuilt on for a prolonged period.
The criteria for defining flat land areas as residential red zone are:
Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) is responsible for Crown-owned properties in Christchurch’s residential red zones, to find out more visit the LINZ website(external link).
Being zoned red in the Port Hills means the property is in an area where there is an unacceptable risk to life safety from rock roll or cliff collapse.
In red zone areas affected by cliff collapse, there are immediate risks to life, land remediation is not considered viable and infrastructure would be difficult and costly to maintain.
In red zone areas affected by rock roll, the risk to life is considered unacceptable based on modelling by the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GNS). The risk to life is unlikely to reach an acceptable level in a reasonable timeframe. Protective works to mitigate the life safety risk in those areas are not considered practicable, after consideration of a wide range of factors including feasibility, disruption to landowners, timeliness and cost effectiveness.The assessment of risk has been based on reports on geotechnical issues, prepared and peer reviewed by experts after extensive area-wide investigations and assessments.
LINZ is responsible for Crown-owned properties in Christchurch’s residential red zones, to find out more visit the LINZ website(external link).
The above zoning information is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of publishing.