Land titles project falls further behind

By CHRIS BARTON

Landonline - the $150 million plus computer project for Land Information New Zealand (Linz) - has fallen a further two months behind schedule.

The Dunedin rollout of the system was due for completion in October but is now not expected to be complete until December.

The Minister for Land Information, Paul Swain, said he had been advised that the slippage was still within acceptable limits in terms of the overall project. Phase One is already a year behind schedule and is not due for completion until mid 2002.

Mr Swain acknowledged that the conversion of paper records to electronic format was the main cause of the delay, but said much of that cost was being born by the contractor, EDS, which was paying the Crown monthly damages.

Mr Swain said there were also problems with the software, which had required patches to be installed, and difficulties related to the telecommunications infrastructure.

Some users of the system were finding more bandwidth was needed to handle the large amounts of digital information passing to and from remote locations.

Mr Swain said the problems were being addressed and the project monitored weekly.

"The Government needs to be assured these delays have been resolved before the viability of Phase Two can be assessed," he said.

The second phase, which will allow the electronic lodgment of land titles and plans, comes up for Government approval in October.

In a separate development, Linz has softened its stance on old paper records held in branch offices that will close when the new computer system is phased in. It has promised internet access to information about where the files have been stored.

The Invercargill branch is due to shut in December, followed by Nelson, Blenheim, Hokitika, Napier, Gisborne and New Plymouth over the next 18 months.

All old paper land records not stored on the new system will be moved to the main centres.

General manager for policy Sharon Cottrell said seven million "live" title documents and survey plans would eventually be stored electronically, but the data would not include old deed records, background survey information and old surveyor field books that were rarely accessed.

Linz had recently decided to build an index of these older records that would be accessible via the net and would provide information about their new whereabouts.

Ms Cottrell said the cost of the internet index would be met from Linz's operational budget.

Closure of branch offices means customers away from main centres will now have to use a search agent that has subscribed to the Landonline system - a role likely to be filled by law firms and surveyors.

They could also mail a request for titles or plans along with the appropriate fee for the order. At present - despite the Government's promoting greater access to government services via the net - there are no plans to allow public internet access to the Landonline.

Customers wanting to see the older paper records will also be able to ring 0800 ONLINE for information on how the new system of accessing paper records works.

Mr Swain acknowledged the concerns that some surveyors, genealogists and Maori had about moving the records.

"The changes being made will ensure that all land information records are stored safely and securely for generations to come and will continue to be readily accessible to all New Zealanders.

"I understand the importance of land records as taonga for Maori and the role of records in Treaty claims. The Government takes its Treaty obligations seriously.

"Linz has sought input from iwi over the storage and management of paper records. All information will still be accessible to iwi.

"Records that Linz no longer needs for business purposes will be offered to National Archives, which will manage them in accordance with the Archives Act 1957."

All the paper records that are not kept at Linz regional offices in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin,will be stored and managed by Recall, a document management specialist with a New Zealand-wide network of storage facilities.

In all, some 200 of 510 Linz operational staff will be shed due to the office closures.

"The services they have provided have been top-level," said Mr Swain. "But changes to technology and systems mean new ways of doing things. Staff in branch offices have been offered several forms of assistance including redeployment."