If you own land that used to belong to the Crown and there's a non-navigable river or stream next to it, the Crown still owns part of the river bed. The Crown owns the part of the river bed that is next to the land they used to own, as long as the river bed is at least 3 metres wide. When the Crown sells the land, they still keep ownership of their part of the river bed.

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This page was last updated on 24 May 2025

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM104935.

Topics:

Environment and resources > ConservationHousing and property > Land use

24E: Exchange of marginal strips, or

"The Minister can trade a small piece of land for another piece to help conservation."

24G: Effect of change to boundary of marginal strips, or

"What happens when the boundary of a lake, river, or foreshore changes and a new marginal strip is created"

Part 4AMarginal strips

24FRight of Crown to half of bed of river adjoining former land of the Crown

Notwithstanding any other enactment or rule of law, where the Crown owns part of the bed of a non-navigable river or stream adjoining any land (being a bed of not less than 3 metres in width) and disposes of that land, that part of the bed of that river or stream shall remain owned by the Crown.

Notes

Section 24F: inserted, on 10 April 1990, by section 15 of the Conservation Law Reform Act 1990 (1990 No 31).