How old is the aerial imagery of your farm?
For about 84% of the rural land LINZ has photographed, the newest public aerial photos come from captures finished in 2021 or later. Most of Manawatū-Whanganui and Taranaki still has 2021–22 photos. Wellington and Hawke’s Bay mostly have 2025–26. What matters for a farm map is the date over your farm, because anything fenced, built or planted since then isn’t in the picture.
Facts checked 13 September 2026
Where the public imagery comes from
Toitū Te Whenua LINZ publishes aerial photos of New Zealand, flown region by region and district by district, free to use under a Creative Commons licence. Rural photos are usually 0.2 to 0.3 m per pixel, so each pixel covers 20 to 30 cm of ground. Urban photos are sharper, and some urban captures reach out over farmland near towns.
A single capture can take more than one summer to fly. Waikato’s most widespread set was flown from Jan 2021 to Mar 2024. So even within a region, neighbouring farms can have photos from different years. Online map apps use their own imagery, with their own dates.
Region by region
For the rural land LINZ has photographed in each region, as at 14 September 2026: which capture is the newest imagery, and over what share of that land. Newest first.
| Region | Share of land · newest aerial photos, and when they were flown | Nothing newer than 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Northland | 92% Nov 2023 – Mar 2025 · Northland, 0.3 m 8% Nov 2014 – Jun 2016 · Northland, 0.4 m | 8% |
| Auckland | 73% Jan 2024 – Mar 2025 · Auckland urban, 0.075 m 23% Oct 2010 – May 2012 · Auckland, 0.5 m 4%Smaller captures | 23% |
| Waikato | 33% Nov 2025 – Feb 2026 · Waikato, 0.2 m, still being published 59% Jan 2021 – Mar 2024 · Waikato, 0.3 m 7%Smaller captures | 0.7% |
| Bay of Plenty | 13% Oct 2025 – Dec 2025 · Bay of Plenty urban, 0.1 m 62% Nov 2024 – Jan 2025 · Bay of Plenty East, 0.2 m 21% Jan 2024 – Jan 2025 · Bay of Plenty West, 0.2 m 5%Smaller captures | 1% |
| Gisborne | 68% Sept 2024 – Jan 2025 · Gisborne, 0.1 m 25% Sept 2024 – Jan 2025 · Gisborne, 0.2 m 6% Feb 2023 – Mar 2024 · Gisborne, 0.2 m 2%Smaller captures | 0% |
| Hawke's Bay | 92% Nov 2025 – Apr 2026 · Hawke's Bay, 0.2 m 6% Feb 2023 – Feb 2025 · Hawke's Bay, 0.25 m 2%Smaller captures | 2% |
| Taranaki | 95% Nov 2021 – Jan 2022 · Taranaki, 0.25 m 5%Smaller captures | 0% |
| Manawatū-Whanganui | 14% Dec 2023 – Mar 2024 · Manawatū-Whanganui, 0.2 m 82% Jan 2021 – Jul 2022 · Manawatū-Whanganui, 0.3 m 5%Smaller captures | 0.1% |
| Wellington | 97% Jan 2025 – Jan 2026 · Wellington, 0.2 m 3%Smaller captures | 0% |
| Tasman | 46% Dec 2024 – Mar 2025 · Tasman, 0.25 m 22% Sept 2022 – Mar 2023 · Tasman, 0.25 m 23% Jan 2020 – Dec 2020 · Tasman, 0.3 m 8% Aug 2004 – Apr 2005 · Tasman, 1 m 1%Smaller captures | 32% |
| Nelson | 78% Nov 2025 – Dec 2025 · Nelson urban, 0.075 m 22% Dec 2022 · Nelson, 0.25 m | 0% |
| Marlborough | 41% Jan 2023 – Sept 2024 · Marlborough, 0.25 m 57% Nov 2021 – Jan 2022 · Marlborough, 0.25 m 2%Smaller captures | 0% |
| West Coast | 65% Dec 2024 – Mar 2026 · West Coast, 0.2 m 22% Feb 2017 – Mar 2017 · West Coast, 0.3 m 13% Dec 2015 – May 2016 · West Coast, 0.3 m | 35% |
| Canterbury | 7% Oct 2025 – Nov 2025 · Waimakariri, 0.25 m 8% Mar 2025 – Apr 2025 · Selwyn, 0.2 m 29% Feb 2025 – Apr 2025 · Canterbury, 0.25 m 18% Jan 2024 – Apr 2024 · Canterbury, 0.2 m 9% Dec 2021 – Mar 2022 · Canterbury, 0.3 m 11% Jan 2021 – Mar 2021 · Mackenzie, 0.3 m 9% Feb 2021 – Mar 2021 · Waitaki, 0.3 m 10%Smaller captures | 8% |
| Otago | 56% Jan 2025 – Apr 2025 · Otago, 0.2 m 10% Nov 2023 – Nov 2024 · Otago, 0.2 m 29% Dec 2017 – Apr 2019 · Otago, 0.3 m 5%Smaller captures | 29% |
| Southland | 49% Jan 2023 – Apr 2024 · Southland, 0.25 m 50% Jan 2005 – Dec 2011 · Southland, 0.75 m | 50% |
Based on 282 rural and urban aerial captures in the LINZ imagery catalogue. Each part of the land is counted once, under its newest capture. LINZ groups captures by region, and a few cross regional boundaries. Satellite and historical scanned photos are not included. Imagery information from Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand and its regional licensors, licensed for re-use under CC BY 4.0.
Why some regions show a lot of older imagery
Older captures often covered more ground than newer ones, including remote country that later flights left out. That shows up most in Southland, the West Coast, Otago and Tasman. We spot-checked 14 farming districts across the country, from Wellsford to Wyndham. Every one had public aerial photos from 2024 or later. The places we checked with nothing newer than 2019 were in national parks and the interior of Stewart Island.
Why the date matters for a farm map
- Fences put in, moved or pulled out since the flight aren’t there
- New races, lanes, troughs and subdivided paddocks don’t show
- Shelterbelts and plantings look younger, or missing, and felled blocks may still look like forest
- Neighbouring farms can have photos from different months, or different years
That’s why the first draft of any map built from imagery needs checking by someone who knows the farm. It’s also why our process has you mark up the draft: you tell us what has changed since the photos were taken, and we fix it.
Finding the date over your farm
The table gives the picture for a region. The date that matters is the one over your boundary. When you order, we check which capture covers your property and confirm the imagery before you pay. If you’re just curious, ask us and we’ll tell you.
Sources
Want this done for your farm?
Fixed prices, published. Pick your paddocks off a map and we’ll take it from there.