Natural hazards on your LIM: what councils must now disclose

Since 2025, a LIM must set out natural hazard information under specified headings — including potential hazards, climate change effects, and where to find the relevant district plan provisions. Two changes did this: sections 44B to 44D of LGOIMA, in force from 1 July 2025, and the Natural Hazard Information Regulations, in force from 17 October 2025.

If you have read an older LIM alongside a recent one, that is why the natural hazard section looks different. It is not simply the council redesigning its template — the information is now subject to much more specific statutory and regulatory requirements.

This matters because natural hazard information can affect insurance availability, lending decisions, and what you may be able to build or develop on a property in the future.

What changed, and when

1 July 2025. The Local Government Official Information and Meetings Amendment Act 2023 brought new LIM provisions into force, inserting sections 44B, 44C and 44D into the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (LGOIMA).

These provisions set out specific requirements for natural hazard information that must be included in LIMs, how potential hazards are identified, the role of regional councils, and protections for councils providing this information.

17 October 2025. The Local Government (Natural Hazard Information in Land Information Memoranda) Regulations 2025 came into force.

The regulations added more detailed requirements for how natural hazard information is presented in a LIM, including specified headings and information relating to different types of natural hazards, climate change, district plans and certain Building Act information.

The practical effect is greater consistency and comparability between LIMs. Councils still have some discretion over presentation and may include additional information, but the natural hazard section is now much more clearly structured by legislation and regulation.

What your LIM must now address

The natural hazard section is based on natural hazard information that the territorial authority knows or holds about the land. Broadly, it can cover:

What	Why it matters to you
Known natural hazards affecting the land	The starting point for understanding the property’s recorded natural hazard exposure.
Potential natural hazards	Hazards where there is a reasonable possibility that the hazard, or a climate-change impact on it, may affect the land now or in the future.
Climate change impacts	Changes that may increase or alter natural hazard exposure, such as sea-level rise, changing rainfall patterns or coastal processes.
Cumulative or combined effects	The way multiple natural hazards or climate-related effects may interact or affect the land.
Relevant notifications and assessments	Certain information and notifications under the Building Act 2004 and related legislation.
Natural hazard information in the district plan	The LIM must identify relevant natural hazard information in the district plan and direct the reader to the relevant provisions and maps.

The regulations are more specific than this summary, so the exact information included will depend on the property and the information held by the relevant council.

The word doing the most work: “potential”

This is one of the most important changes for property buyers to understand.

Section 44B of LGOIMA provides for disclosure of a potential natural hazard where the territorial authority is satisfied there is a reasonable possibility that the natural hazard, or an impact of climate change on that hazard, may affect the land now or in the future.

That means a LIM can identify a hazard even where there is no visible problem at the property today.

For example, a property may never have flooded, yet the LIM may identify potential future inundation associated with climate change or other natural hazard information held by the council.

That does not mean the property will necessarily be affected. It means the council has information indicating that there is a reasonable possibility of the hazard affecting the land.

This forward-looking approach is particularly important for hazards such as coastal inundation and erosion, where the risk profile of land can change over time.

Regional councils are now part of the information chain

Under section 44C, regional councils have obligations to provide specified natural hazard information to territorial authorities — the district and city councils that issue LIMs.

This is important because regional councils often hold or commission regional-scale natural hazard information, modelling and assessments.

The new framework provides a clearer route for relevant information to reach the territorial authority responsible for the LIM.

In certain circumstances, where a regional council has produced or commissioned natural hazard information, it may also need to provide a plain-language summary if that would help a reader understand the information.

There is an important limitation, however: the new rules do not mean that a regional council must carry out a new, property-specific natural hazard assessment every time someone applies for a LIM. The legislation and regulations generally deal with information the councils know or hold rather than requiring a fresh investigation for each property.

What a LIM still won’t tell you

A LIM is an important due-diligence document, but it is not a complete assessment of a property’s natural hazard risk.

It is not a property-specific survey or risk assessment.

A LIM provides information the council knows or holds and information that the legislation and regulations require it to include. A clean hazard section should not be interpreted as the council having independently assessed the property and confirmed that it is free from natural hazard risk.

The district plan should still be checked directly.

The new regulations require a LIM to identify relevant natural hazard information contained in the territorial authority’s district plan and direct the reader to the relevant provisions and maps.

However, the LIM is not a substitute for reviewing the district plan itself. Planning rules, overlays and development controls can affect what you can do with a property, so the relevant district plan provisions should be checked separately — particularly if you are considering building, subdividing or making significant changes to the property.

The council is not required to undertake a new investigation simply because you ordered a LIM.

The new framework does not generally require councils to prepare a new property-specific risk assessment, carry out additional analysis, or search for information that they do not already hold.

Council liability is limited.

Section 44D provides protection for councils in certain circumstances where natural hazard information is made available in a LIM in good faith.

For a buyer, the practical takeaway is simple: treat the natural hazard section as the starting point for your due diligence, not the end of it.

What to actually do with this

Read the natural hazard section early.

The new requirements make the section more structured and easier to scan. Look at it early in your due diligence, while you still have time to investigate issues or reconsider the purchase.

Take any flagged hazard to your insurer.

Insurance availability, exclusions and premiums can depend on the property’s particular risk profile. If a LIM identifies a natural hazard, speak to your insurer or broker as early as possible during your conditional or due-diligence period.

Don’t wait until settlement to discover that cover is unavailable, restricted or significantly more expensive than expected.

Check the date of the LIM.

Natural hazard information can change as councils update their maps, modelling and other information.

A LIM reflects the information and requirements applicable when it was issued. An older LIM provided by a vendor may therefore pre-date both the new requirements and newer hazard information.

If you are relying on an older LIM, consider whether a current LIM is appropriate.

Check the district plan separately.

The new LIM rules require relevant natural hazard information in the district plan to be identified and referenced in the LIM, but the district plan itself remains an important source of information.

This is particularly relevant if you are considering development, subdivision, extensions or other significant work on the property.

Don’t treat a clean hazard section as a clean bill of health.

A clean section can be reassuring, but it does not mean that the land has been independently assessed and found to be free of natural hazard risk.

The LIM tells you what the council knows and is required to disclose. Your wider due diligence should consider whether you need additional professional advice, including engineering, geotechnical, planning or insurance advice.

The key takeaway

The 2025 changes make natural hazard information in LIMs more structured, more consistent and more forward-looking.

The biggest thing for buyers to understand is the distinction between a known hazard and a potential hazard.

A property does not need to have flooded, slipped or shown visible signs of damage for a natural hazard to appear on its LIM. If the council is satisfied there is a reasonable possibility that a natural hazard, including a climate-change impact, may affect the land now or in the future, that information can be relevant to the LIM.

For buyers, the LIM should therefore be treated as an important risk-information document, not a guarantee that the property is safe from natural hazards.

Read it carefully, check the underlying maps and district plan, talk to your insurer about any flagged risks, and get specialist advice where the information raises concerns.

Once you have the LIM, the next document to work through is the builder’s report — the two find different problems.

This article provides general information only and is not legal, insurance, engineering or property-specific advice.

Official sources

• Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, sections 44A–44D — legislation.govt.nz
• Local Government (Natural Hazard Information in Land Information Memoranda) Regulations 2025 — legislation.govt.nz
• Local Government Official Information and Meetings Amendment Act 2023 — legislation.govt.nz
• Your territorial authority’s LIM information — check your council’s current fee, application process and processing time