The New Topo50

New Zealand has moved to using a new, official topographical map series, Topo50. This is one of the most significant changes to New Zealand’s authoritative topographical maps since the 1930s.

The Topo50 map series has been developed to be compatible with international mapping systems and modern navigational technologies such as GPS. As a result, the Topo50 maps use different coordinates (latitudes and longitudes) of points to previous official maps. The difference is equivalent to an approximate 200 metre change in position. The maps are produced at 1:50,000 scale and are designed to help you navigate through remote areas.

On this site, you can find out why the change has been made, and what it means to you. We’ll give you the information you need to move to the new maps, including which maps to choose and where to buy them. You can also enter to win a Garmin GPS unit with the Topo50 maps pre-loaded.

The Topo50 map series has been released by Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), the agency responsible for producing New Zealand’s official, authoritative topographical maps. Emergency services, search and rescue organisations, the defence forces and government agencies such as the Department of Conservation (DOC) are using the new map series and were involved in planning the change.