How it works
We won’t get every fence right the first time.
Nobody can, from imagery. A fence under a shelter belt is invisible. A race regrassed two years ago looks like a paddock. A boundary that moved when the neighbour bought the corner block looks exactly like one that didn’t.
So instead of pretending otherwise, we built the correction into the price. You get six months of revisions within the agreed scope — not one “revision round” with a fee for the second. We keep going until the map matches the farm you actually walk.
How it works
Five steps. You drive two of them.
- 01
You tell us which farm
Pick your paddocks off the map, or give us an address. Takes two minutes and it means we start with the right piece of land.
- 02
You order, or we talk first
Prices are published. We check the boundary and imagery, book your delivery date, and you pay upfront before work starts. Several titles or a lease block? Ask for a call first.
- 03
We build the first draft
From the best available imagery, plus anything you send us — old maps, a farm plan, waterline records.
- 04
You mark it up
Print it, scribble on it, photograph it, send it back. Tell us every fence we got wrong. This is the important step.
- 05
We fix it. Then again.
Six months of revisions within the agreed scope. We keep correcting until the map matches the farm you actually walk.
Steps 4 and 5 repeat as many times as you need for six months. That is the whole point — the first draft is never the finished map.
The mark-up step
This is the part that makes the map yours.
When the draft lands, print it or open it on a screen and go through it the way you would go through a stock reconciliation. The things we most often get wrong, and most want to hear about:
- Fences that have moved, gone in, or come out since the imagery was flown
- Internal fences hidden under trees or shelter belts
- Paddock names — we guess, you correct
- Races and lanes we have mapped as paddock, or the reverse
- Blocks that are leased rather than owned
- Areas you do not graze that we have counted as effective
Send it back however suits — a photo of a marked-up print is perfect. You do not need special software and you do not need to be precise. Circle it and we will work it out.
What a typical job looks like
- OrderWe check the boundary and imagery, book a delivery date, and you pay
- Booked weekFirst draft lands in your inbox, within ten working days of payment
- Your turnYou go through it and mark it up
- Our turnWe turn the corrections around
- RepeatUntil the map matches the farm
- 6 monthsRevisions close. Your files are yours to keep
Corrections within the agreed scope do not change the price. Adding land, new analysis or a redesign is quoted before we start.
The boundary question
We map your fencelines, not the title diagram.
LINZ title parcels are the legal record of ownership, but the geometry is frequently offset from the fence on the ground — sometimes by a metre, sometimes by tens of metres — because it derives from historic survey records captured to widely varying standards.
If we mapped the title boundary and called it your farm, your areas would be wrong and your fertiliser order would be wrong with them. So we map what is actually fenced, then confirm it with you during the revision loop.
If you want to see both, a title vs fenceline comparison can be one of the four focused maps in Baseline Plus: your fenced boundary and the title boundary overlaid, with the difference shaded and stated in hectares. It compares two datasets. It is not proof of ownership or encroachment — that is a question for a surveyor.
When you need a surveyor instead
This map is accurate enough to run a farm on, plan from, and hand to your bank or consultant. It is not a cadastral survey.
You need a licensed cadastral surveyor if you are:
- In a boundary dispute with a neighbour
- Subdividing or creating a new title
- Placing a structure hard against a boundary
- Registering an easement
If you tell us that is what you need, we will say so and point you at a surveyor rather than sell you a map that will not do the job.
The fine print, up front
Things we’d rather you heard from us.
Nobody can, from imagery. A fence under a shelter belt is invisible; a race regrassed two years ago looks like a paddock. That is exactly why you get six months of revisions instead of one “revision round”. The draft is a starting point, and correcting it is part of the job, not an extra.
LINZ parcel boundaries are frequently offset from the fence on the ground — sometimes by tens of metres — because they derive from historic survey records of varying accuracy. We map what is actually fenced, and confirm it with you. A title vs fenceline comparison map can show both, with the difference in hectares.
It is accurate enough to run a farm on, plan from, and hand to your bank or consultant. It cannot be used for a boundary dispute or a subdivision. For that you need a licensed cadastral surveyor, and we will tell you so rather than sell you a map.
Every map is built by a founder. We check your boundary, the source data and our workload first, then send the payment link with a delivery date. If we are booked up we tell you the next available start rather than take your money and go quiet.
Common questions.
What does a farm map cost in New Zealand?
Ours are published prices for a standard single property: $750 for Baseline, $1,250 for Baseline Plus with effective paddock areas, and $2,450 for the first year of Baseline Forever, then $890 a year while subscribed. All prices exclude GST. If a property is unusually large, spread across several titles or needs a lot of preparation, we give you a fixed quote before you pay. There are no travel charges.
How long does it take?
Your first draft will be with you within ten working days of payment, and we tell you which week your job is booked for before you pay. After the first draft you have six months to send corrections, so the total time depends partly on how quickly your mark-ups come back.
Do you visit the farm?
No. Every job is built in-office from aerial imagery, LINZ records and anything you supply, which is why there are no travel charges. It also means the revision loop matters — you are the one who knows where the fences really are.
What is the difference between gross and effective area?
Gross area is everything inside the paddock fence. Effective area is the part that actually grows grass — gross area less races, yards, bush, scrub, waterways and unusable steep faces. It is usually the number you want for a feed budget or a fertiliser plan. Baseline Plus and Forever give you both, with each deduction agreed and itemised so you can check it.
Do I keep the maps and data?
Yes. Every package delivers PDF maps and the mapped data as GeoPackage, shapefiles and KML, and they are yours to keep and use. If a Baseline Forever subscription ends, you receive a ZIP of your delivered files; the online map and updates stop until you reactivate.
Can I use this map for a boundary dispute or a subdivision?
No. It is not a cadastral survey. We map the boundary as it is fenced on the ground, which is what you need to run a farm, but it has no legal standing for disputes or subdivision. For that you need a licensed cadastral surveyor.
What if my fences have moved since the imagery was taken?
Tell us and we will fix it. Every map states the capture date of the imagery it was built from, so you know what you are looking at. Correcting things the imagery cannot show is exactly what the six-month revision window is for.
What files do I actually get?
PDF maps in both an imagery version and a clean version for printing and marking up, the mapped data as GeoPackage, shapefiles and KML for Google Earth, and a spreadsheet of paddock areas. Baseline Plus adds effective areas, the detailed paddock schedule and any focused maps in your package.
Can you map a farm outside New Zealand?
Often, yes. We work remotely, so it depends on suitable imagery and data being available and licensed for your property. Send us the location and we will check before you pay.
Ready to start?
Pick your paddocks off a map and we will take it from there.