Farm-scale Land Use Capability (LUC), Land Resource Inventory (LRI) and soil mapping — at the right intensity for your farm or orchard plan.
We map land for what it can actually do. Using the New Zealand LUC framework — the eight capability classes, the erosion, wetness, soil and climate limitations, and the LRI factors underneath — we map your farm at the intensity your land use needs, from extensive hill country to intensive horticulture.
The national LUC and soil layers were surveyed at 1:50,000 — they’re not fit for farm planning, and we won’t pretend otherwise by stretching coarse data to farm scale. We get on the ground, use the LiDAR where it counts (slope is genuinely farm-scale), and give you maps you can actually plan and comply off.
Farmers face real pressure meeting council and assurance requirements while keeping the farm running. We help you navigate freshwater, NZFAP+ and land-management challenges with practical mapping and planning.
The national LUC and soil layers were surveyed at 1:50,000 — fine for a region, useless for a paddock. Farm planning needs mapping at farm scale, not coarse data stretched to fit.
Soil, slope, geology and erosion can shift across a single gully. Classifying that accurately takes someone who knows the LUC framework and gets out on the ground to check it.
LUC and soil mapping underpins freshwater farm plans, NZFAP+ and resource consents. Get the land resource right and the rest of the plan stands on solid ground.
Everything you need for farm-scale mapping, certified farm plans, and regulatory compliance across New Zealand.
LAND USE CAPABILITY
We classify your land by its capability — the eight LUC classes and the e/w/s/c limitations — at the scale your plan needs, so each block is mapped for what it can actually sustain.
FARM-SCALE SOILS
Farm-scale soil mapping that picks up the variability the national surveys miss — soil types, depth, drainage and the limitations that drive how each block performs.
THE FIVE LRI FACTORS
A full LRI behind the LUC — rock type, soil, slope, erosion and vegetation mapped across the farm, so every capability call is backed by the factors underneath it.
A structured, field-verified process that delivers accurate farm-scale maps and audit-ready plans with minimal disruption to your farming operation.
We review the existing soil, geology and terrain data and the LiDAR to plan an efficient field survey, focused where the land actually varies.
We get on farm and traverse the property — checking soils, slope, geology and erosion against the ground, at the intensity your plan calls for.
We draw accurate, georeferenced LUC and soil maps in GIS, classified to the national standard and matched to the right scale for your land use.
You get the maps and LRI report ready to drop into a farm plan, a council submission, or day-to-day farm management.
Practical reading on luc & soil mapping — written for farmers, not consultants
A drone photo measures the grass; LiDAR measures the ground beneath it. On NZ hill country that decides whether your slope, water and LUC class are right.
Highly Productive Land (HPL) shapes what you can do with your best country — and the rules changed in January 2026. The plain-English version for NZ farmers.
Say 'LUC' and most NZ farmers think environmental paperwork. Land Use Capability was built to answer a profit question — what will this land actually repay?
A farm plan is only as good as the map under it. Why a field-verified, farm-scale Land Use Capability (LUC) base beats the minimum NZFAP+ asks for.
A 1:50,000 soil map can be forty metres out. Why mapping your NZ farm at the scale your decisions happen pays off — and which layers are truly farm-scale.
High-quality LUC and soil maps at the right scale for your farm type. Talk to us about your mapping needs.
We map to the New Zealand LUC standard at the intensity your land use calls for — so your maps are genuinely fit for purpose, not coarse data dressed up as farm-scale.
