Resource Management Act 1991

Subdivision and reclamations - Conditions as to easements

243: Survey plan approved subject to grant or reservation of easements

You could also call this:

“The law says you need special permission to change or remove certain rights to use someone else's land when splitting up property.”

When you get approval for dividing up land or when you receive a record of title, you might need to create or keep certain rights of way, called easements. Here’s what you need to know about these easements:

You can’t get rid of an easement without the local council’s written permission. This means you can’t give it up if you own the land that benefits from it, or if you’re the one who was granted the easement. You also can’t change it or combine it by transferring ownership.

The local council won’t approve the plan for dividing the land unless it shows which piece of land benefits from the easement and which piece is affected by it. If it’s a special type of easement, it needs to show who it’s for and which land it affects.

When you want to transfer, rent, or do anything else with a piece of land shown on the plan, the person in charge of land records won’t let you unless all the required easements are properly set up.

The person in charge of land records will make a note on the relevant records that the easement follows these rules.

The local council can cancel the requirement for an easement at any time, even after the plan has been officially recorded. If they do this, they need to let the right people know so that the records can be updated.

Remember, these rules are here to make sure that important rights of way are properly managed when land is being divided up or changed.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM237620.

Topics:
Housing and property > Land use
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Part 10 Subdivision and reclamations
Conditions as to easements

243Survey plan approved subject to grant or reservation of easements

  1. Where a subdivision consent is granted or any record of title is issued subject to a condition that any specified easements be granted or reserved, the following provisions apply:

  2. no such easement shall—except with the written consent of the territorial authority:
    1. be surrendered by the owner of the dominant tenement; or
      1. in the case of an easement in gross, be surrendered by the grantee of the easement; or
        1. be merged by transfer to the owner of the dominant or servient tenement; or
          1. be varied—
          2. the territorial authority shall not approve the survey plan unless there is endorsed on the survey plan a memorandum showing, with respect to each such easement, which is the dominant tenement and which is the servient tenement or, in the case of an easement in gross, the name of the proposed grantee and which is the servient tenement:
            1. the Registrar-General of Land shall refuse to register any instrument of transfer or conveyance or lease or other disposition of any allotment shown on the survey plan, unless the Registrar is satisfied that all easements so specified which are appurtenant to that allotment or to which that allotment is subject have been duly granted or reserved or will by the registration of that instrument be granted or reserved:
              1. the Registrar-General of Land must endorse on any relevant records of title, a memorial that the easement is subject to the provisions of this section:
                1. the territorial authority may at any time, whether before or after the survey plan has been deposited in the Land Registry Office or the Deeds Register Office, revoke the condition in whole or part:
                  1. when a territorial authority cancels a condition in whole or in part, then—
                    1. where the survey plan has not been approved by the Surveyor-General, a memorandum of the cancellation must be endorsed on the survey plan or notice of the cancellation must be forwarded by that authority to the Surveyor-General, who must update his or her records accordingly:
                      1. where the survey plan has been approved by the Chief Surveyor or deposited, the territorial authority must forward to the Registrar-General of Land a certificate signed by the chief executive or other authorised officer of the territorial authority to the effect that the condition has been cancelled in whole or in part, and the Registrar-General of Land must note the records accordingly.
                      Notes
                      • Section 243: amended, on , by section 250 of the Land Transfer Act 2017 (2017 No 30).
                      • Section 243: amended, on , by section 130(1) of the Resource Management Amendment Act 1993 (1993 No 65).
                      • Section 243(a)(iii): amended, on , by section 130(2) of the Resource Management Amendment Act 1993 (1993 No 65).
                      • Section 243(c): amended, on , by section 150 of the Resource Management (Simplifying and Streamlining) Amendment Act 2009 (2009 No 31).
                      • Section 243(d): replaced, on , by section 250 of the Land Transfer Act 2017 (2017 No 30).
                      • Section 243(f): replaced, on , by section 130(3) of the Resource Management Amendment Act 1993 (1993 No 65).
                      • Section 243(f)(i): replaced, on , by section 250 of the Land Transfer Act 2017 (2017 No 30).
                      • Section 243(f)(ii): replaced, on , by section 48 of the Resource Management Amendment Act 1997 (1997 No 104).
                      • Section 243(f)(ii): amended, on , by section 150 of the Resource Management (Simplifying and Streamlining) Amendment Act 2009 (2009 No 31).
                      • Section 243(f)(ii): amended, on , by section 262 of the Local Government Act 2002 (2002 No 84).