How to Download Free LiDAR Data from New Zealand LINZ

Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) provides free, high-quality LiDAR elevation data through their National Elevation Programme. Access 1-metre resolution DEMs and DSMs under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC-BY-4.0).

Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) is New Zealand’s government agency responsible for land information and geospatial data. Through the National Elevation Programme, LINZ coordinates LiDAR acquisition across the country, making high-resolution elevation data freely available for everyone.

What is LINZ?

1m DEMs

Bare-earth terrain models

1m DSMs

With vegetation & buildings

NZ Coverage

Most of New Zealand

CC-BY-4.0

Free for any use

Step-by-Step Download Guide

Navigate the LINZ Data Service

Follow these steps to download elevation data from New Zealand’s national LINZ Data Service. You’ll need a free Koordinates account to export data.

LINZ Data Service main portal showing the browse interface and search bar — LINZ Data Service main portal interface

Getting started:

Data tab: Browse available datasets by category
Search bar: Find “LiDAR” or “DEM” datasets directly
Elevation category: Contains all terrain products

Available datasets:

NZ LiDAR 1m DEM — Merged national bare-earth model
NZ LiDAR 1m DSM — Merged national surface model
NZ DEM Hillshade — Pre-rendered 3D visualization

Click on a dataset to view its details, metadata, and coverage area. The map interface shows the geographic extent.

New Zealand LiDAR 1m DEM dataset showing Info, History and Services tabs — NZ LiDAR 1m DEM dataset page

01

Access the LINZ Data Service

Navigate to data.linz.govt.nz to access the LINZ Data Service. You can browse without registering, but you’ll need a free Koordinates account to download data.

02

Find Your Dataset

Use the search bar to find specific LiDAR datasets. Key national products include:

LINZ Data Service showing Services and APIs tab with Spatial Query API and download options — Export options showing format and projection settings

Cropping options:

Rectangle: Draw a box around your area of interest
Region: Select predefined areas (Topo50 sheets, territorial authorities)

Then click Export to configure:

File Format: GeoTIFF (recommended), ESRI File GDB, GeoPackage
Projection: NZTM2000 (default), NZGD2000, or WGS84

Processing times:

Small areas: Immediate to a few minutes
Large areas: Up to several hours
Full datasets: Consider AWS bulk downloads

When ready, click Download to save the ZIP file containing your data plus metadata and licensing information.

01

Define Your Area & Export

Click the Crop button above the map to limit your download area:

02

Create Export & Download

Click Create Export to start processing. You’ll need to agree to the CC-BY-4.0 license terms.

Alternative Download Methods

AWS Registry of Open Data for bulk downloads

Point Clouds & Bulk Downloads

For raw point cloud data or large-scale downloads, use these additional resources:

OpenTopography Point Clouds

Full-resolution LAZ point clouds are available through OpenTopography. Use their tools for:

Point cloud visualization
On-demand DEM generation
Direct LAZ file downloads

AWS Registry of Open Data

For entire datasets, use the NZ Elevation dataset on AWS:

Cloud Optimized GeoTIFFs (COGs)
Stream data without full downloads
STAC catalog access
No login required

Technical Specifications

Data Specifications

Resolution: 1 metre (DEM/DSM)

Point Density: 2-8 points/m²

Products: DEM, DSM, Hillshade

License: CC-BY-4.0 (free for any use)

Coordinate Systems

Default CRS: NZTM2000 (EPSG:2193)

Alternative: NZGD2000 (EPSG:4167)

Global: WGS84 (EPSG:4326)

Vertical Datum: NZVD2016

Available File Formats

LINZ Data Service supports multiple export formats for different use cases

Format	Type	Best For
GeoTIFF	Raster	DEMs and DSMs – universal GIS compatibility
LAZ	Point Cloud	Compressed LiDAR data via OpenTopography
ESRI File GDB	Vector/Raster	ArcGIS Pro workflows
GeoPackage	Vector/Raster	Open format for QGIS and other GIS software
COG (AWS)	Cloud Raster	Cloud streaming, no full download needed

Tips for Downloading LINZ Data

Use NZTM2000 Projection

New Zealand Transverse Mercator 2000 is the standard projection for NZ data. Keep data in NZTM for accurate measurements and compatibility with other NZ datasets.

Check Coverage First

Use the NZ Elevation Survey Index to see which areas have LiDAR coverage and find links to individual survey datasets.

Download by Topo50 Sheet

For large areas, download by Topo50 map sheet to keep file sizes manageable. The region filter includes predefined Topo50 sheet boundaries.

Processing Your Downloaded Data

Once you have downloaded your LINZ LiDAR data, you’ll need to process it to extract useful products. Lidarvisor offers a streamlined workflow for processing point clouds

Upload LAZ Directly

No conversion needed — upload your LINZ LAZ files directly to Lidarvisor for processing.

Automatic Classification

AI-powered ground classification and noise removal works automatically on your data.

Generate Products

Create DTMs, DSMs, hillshades, slope maps, contours, and more from your point clouds.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is LINZ LiDAR data free to use?

Yes! All LiDAR data from LINZ is released under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC-BY-4.0) license. You can use it for commercial or non-commercial purposes as long as you attribute LINZ as the source.

What areas of New Zealand have LiDAR coverage?

As of 2024, most of New Zealand has LiDAR coverage through the National Elevation Programme. Check the NZ Elevation Survey Index for current coverage maps. Priority areas include urban centers, flood-prone regions, and coastal zones.

What’s the resolution of LINZ LiDAR data?

The national DEM and DSM products are provided at 1-metre resolution. Individual survey datasets may have different specifications depending on the acquisition parameters. Point density typically ranges from 2-8 points per square metre.

How do I download point cloud data (LAZ files)?

Full-resolution point cloud data is available through OpenTopography rather than the LINZ Data Service directly. LINZ provides the derived products (DEMs, DSMs, hillshades) while OpenTopography hosts the raw LAZ files.

What projection should I use?

For most New Zealand applications, use NZTM2000 (EPSG:2193) – New Zealand Transverse Mercator. This is the official projection for New Zealand and ensures accurate measurements. If you need global compatibility, you can convert to WGS84 (EPSG:4326).

What software can open LINZ data?

GeoTIFF files from LINZ can be opened with any GIS software including QGIS, ArcGIS Pro, Global Mapper, and Google Earth Pro. LAZ files can be opened with CloudCompare, QGIS (with LAStools plugin), and Fugro Viewer. For cloud-based processing without software installation, upload directly to Lidarvisor.

Ready to Process Your LINZ Data?

Upload your LAZ files to Lidarvisor and generate DTMs, DSMs, contours, and more — no desktop software required. Start with 50 Hectares of free processing.

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50 hectares free. No credit card. No software to install.