The PAN-NZ data catalogues provide an inventory of known datasets that describe protected areas across Aotearoa New Zealand. These catalogues serve two key purposes:

• Visibility: Help users identify existing protected area datasets. This supports not only the compilation of the PAN-NZ national spatial layer, but also helps others discover and access protected area data sources more easily.
• Data Improvement: The catalogues form the foundation for strengthening the national dataset by highlighting known sources, identifying gaps or inconsistencies, and showing where further engagement with data holders may be needed.

By making this information transparent, we aim to support collaboration, reduce duplication of effort, and guide efforts to ensure all protected areas are fairly and accurately represented in PAN-NZ. Each catalogue entry includes metadata such as the dataset custodian, licensing terms, access method (e.g. download or API), and any steps required to make the dataset suitable for inclusion in PAN-NZ.

The catalogues are grouped into two categories:

1. National Datasets: Protected area datasets that cover all of New Zealand.
2. Regional Datasets: Datasets managed at a regional level, typically by local government. These include data describing locally administered reserves and regional parks.

Please see each of the relevant data catalogue pages for more details.

Contributing

We encourage you to explore each catalogue. If you notice datasets that are missing or entries that could be improved, please see the Contribute / Contact page for details on how to provide feedback or submit updates.

If your organisation holds a protected area dataset that is not yet fully complete or does not meet all PAN-NZ guidelines, we still encourage you to share it. Partial or developing datasets are valuable, and can help inform future engagement, fill visibility gaps, and contribute to building a more representative national layer.

Your input plays a vital role in improving the coverage, quality, and accessibility of protected areas data across Aotearoa.