Thread: How accurate are doc boundaries

How much can we rely on the boundaries on the Doc, WAMS, LINZ, and TOPO50 maps? In some places it looks like they follow a stream or road and then spill out into small parts on the other side. Cane we reliably use these parts? Thanks

And if you were to track your movements with TOPO50 could you be right by the boundary line and be confident that you're on the right side of the law?

It is a bit more nuanced than what I think you are hoping it is.

A lot will depend on what you can see on the ground. i.e. in an extreme case if the map shows it as DOC but it has a house on it with smoke coming from the chimney, then there is no confidence.

In a more commonplace scenario, as you say, often they spill across stream or road, with the waterway this is often due to shifting over time of that waterway but not shifting of the boundary. Humans have at times been known to be pragmatic about boundaries and land use and what works and what is theoretical. So at times there may be farming on what is technically but not practically DOC estate, or there may be rimu trees and deer on what is techically but not practically a farm.

There have also been times when someone was confidently on the right side of the law but they still had to spend time and money in court to prove that they were.

I had just such a conversation with a DOC employee when I called them to ask the much the same question. Like you, I wanted to reliably ensure I was inside the permitted area, with the aid of GPS.
The answer I got was much like what longshot has said. Just because your GPS says you’re standing on public land because it matches the DOC map, it may not be exactly so. It might be a helpful defence for explaining to a landowner why you’ve strayed onto their land unintentionally - if the landowner is open to believing your explanation - but skirting the boundary lines leaves you in an ambiguous area at your own risk.
I wasn’t entirely happy with the explanation myself, I kind of hoped DOC had GPS plotted borders that I could use to determine exact location.

I have had the same interactions with DOC about a place where I hunt here in the Manawatu. The topo map on my phone shows the DOC boundaries following the river bed, but the river has changed that much the doc land is on one side and is very hard to follow.
Talking to the DOC office , they didnt really want to give me a straight answer as I felt they dont want to be held to account if they have got it wrong.
They should know the boundaries and should be able to advise people where they can and cannot shoot.

Go to your local Smart Maps site, click on area of interest and legal property boundaries are shown.use tools to draw area outline and transfer to your mapping programme/app. Takes a little time but is LINZ based so accurate.
Or follow this link: https://doc-deptconservation.opendat...4ca2ae_0/about
Download KML file and open in Google Earth and take it from there.

Originally Posted by longshot

It is a bit more nuanced than what I think you are hoping it is.

A lot will depend on what you can see on the ground. i.e. in an extreme case if the map shows it as DOC but it has a house on it with smoke coming from the chimney, then there is no confidence.

In a more commonplace scenario, as you say, often they spill across stream or road, with the waterway this is often due to shifting over time of that waterway but not shifting of the boundary. Humans have at times been known to be pragmatic about boundaries and land use and what works and what is theoretical. So at times there may be farming on what is technically but not practically DOC estate, or there may be rimu trees and deer on what is techically but not practically a farm.

There have also been times when someone was confidently on the right side of the law but they still had to spend time and money in court to prove that they were.

all true but remember the landowner has just as much responsibiity to prove you are on his land

If it's an area where you are worried about talk to the neighbouring land owner. I spoke to a high country station about a particular area and he told me that on that area where I wanted to hunt there was remaina of an old border fence but was further back in the bush than where the doc map said.

Look on the bright side. If you can't determine your exact position relative to the legal boundaries with all the maps and GPS gear you have, then it will be very difficult for anyone to make a trespass case out it, especially if you can prove (determined by a history search on your device) you were trying to find those boundaries to remain in the permit area.