Out on a LIM : The Role of Land Information Memorandum in Natural Hazard Management

Land Information Memorandum (LIM) contributes to the management of natural hazards by providing information to property owners and potential purchasers. LIMs were included into the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act (1987) in 1992, and after more than two decades of being enacted, there is still a lot of confusion and inconsistent approaches to managing information requirements within LIMs.

The aim of this report is to document how natural hazard information is represented in LIMs produced in the Wellington Region. The following questions underpin the research: 1. What is the role of the LIM in communicating natural hazard information? 2. When should information be included in a LIM? 3. What improvements could be made to the LIM system? The LIM can be used as static means of communicating site specific natural hazards information and the potential risk associated with the purchase of a property. Additionally, the information in the LIM is able to be updated more easily than the district plan, and can generally hold the most up to date information about a property. This makes the LIM a valuable tool for disseminating important information to the public about a hazard, and the potential risks associated with a property.

The research identified a number of challenges and opportunities with LIMs that currently hinder the effectiveness of them being able to effectively communicate information to the public.