Survus Consultants

19/06/2024

New Zealand's well-known agricultural event, The Fieldays, is held at Mystery Creek near Hamilton annually, bringing together farmers, rural suppliers, consultants, innovators, industry leaders, and rural enthusiasts from around New Zealand and internationally.

This event is very important to us as it allows us to engage with the rural community and keep up to speed with what is happening in the agri-business sector. That's why we have been attending every year since 1998. Managing Director Hamish Frizzell attended on Wednesday this year, and met up with many old and new acquaintances.

With extensive experience working with rural communities, particularly in Canterbury and the West Coast, we are skilled and knowledgeable in navigating the complexities of subdivisions of rural land. This process has become considerably more complex with the introduction of the NPS-HPL. Attending these events keeps us in touch with the coal-face of both the farmers, and their suppliers and consultants.

Until next year, keep on farming.

06/06/2024

We are excited to announce that we are now accepting Farmlands cards. If you have questions about using your Farmlands card please reach out to our friendly team by calling 0800 787 775. We are always here to help!

29/05/2024

Introducing Good Title – another of the brands in the Survus stable.
Got a cross lease in Christchurch, or the wider Canterbury area? We’ve been offering our change of tenure one-stop-shop package – Good Title – in Auckland for a few years now, and we’re about to launch in Canterbury. We’ve successfully converted hundreds of titles to freehold in Auckland, so get in touch for a chat about how we can do the same for your Canterbury cross lease. Good Title

27/05/2024

This year, we hosted a Pink Ribbon morning tea. Together, our team raised funds for vital breast cancer research, education, support, and advocacy. We are thrilled to share that we surpassed our fundraising goal. Thank you to everyone who donated to this important cause!

22/05/2024

This year, we are raising money for an important cause that provides vital funds for breast cancer education, research, and patient support. Research helps to improve long-term outcomes for breast cancer patients. Education ensures that information is readily available and that all women know the signs and symptoms of breast cancer. Patient support helps those recovering from treatment and those living long-term with breast cancer to improve their quality of life and extend survival.

Please share this with friends and family; this is a life-saving cause for many Kiwi women across the country.

I'm fundraising for Breast Cancer Foundation NZ, to help fund breast cancer education, research and patient support. Please donate to help the 3,500 Kiwis diagnosed with breast cancer each year in NZ.

02/05/2024

Yesterday, the annual Methven Lions Golf Tournament took place, and it was an amazing day. The weather was absolutely perfect, with clear blue skies and sunshine. Not only did we come together for a great cause, but we also had the opportunity to catch up with the locals. We're looking forward to seeing all of you again next year!⛳️🏆

26/04/2024

Last week, we participated in the Malvern Lions Annual Golf Match, which was organized to raise funds for the Malvern Health and Community Welfare Trust. We are proud to support this cause, and the turnout and weather was amazing. Additionally, we managed to raise an extra $217 through our 'Guess the Golf Ball' game. We express our gratitude to everyone who came to say hello and helped us raise funds for this amazing cause! 😊

24/04/2024

We will be closed tomorrow for Anzac Day out of respect for all those who served and fell during this time.

Our office will also be closed Friday 26th April and we will reopen for business Monday 29th April.

22/04/2024

A couple of weeks ago, Hamish and Reuben attended the bi-annual Agfest at Greymouth Airport, introducing our specialist rural surveying services to the wider West Coast area. It was a great opportunity to meet with a whole new group of future clients, who were very receptive to our presence. Although Friday’s weather was a bit unpredictable, Saturday was a beautiful sunny day and the attendance was great. It was good to get some new leads to add to our existing projects on the Coast. Looking forward to seeing you all again at the next Agfest in 2026!

07/03/2024

Today is International Women’s Day and here at Survus we would like to celebrate the wonderful and hard-working women who are part of our team.
As many of your will be aware, from the start through to the end of every project one or more of these women will be involved.
We would like to thank them for their endless contribution they make to our workplace.

22/02/2024

Survus+Rural are proud to be supporting the Waihora Rugby Football Club Division 1 rugby team. Go well lads and we hope to get along to a game or two to cheer you on during the season.

Big thanks to Survus Rural for coming on board as a sponsor of Waihora RFC this year. Your support means the world to us, and it's great to have you as part of the journey so we can do what we do best.

Country rugby wouldn’t exist without the support of great sponsors like this, so we really encourage our Waihora community to please support them where you can.

14/02/2024

Ever wondered what our surveyors really get to see and do on a daily basis?
A couple of our surveyors headed north into the rolling downs of the Hurunui District last week to undertake a rural subdivision for a future forestry development. This one was a little different in that we suggested to Council that the existing farm track formation be retained as is until such time as the harvest is required. These sorts of suggestions save our clients time and money, which in these times we know is invaluable.

If you need advice on any form of rural survey work, be it subdivision, Accretion and AMF Claims, boundary adjustments, easements or whatever, let us provide it. Use our local knowledge and experience to get the best solutions to your surveying needs. Please feel free to contact one of our friendly and knowledgeable team on 0800 953 273 and [email protected]. We are happy to come to your farm free of charge* (subject to initial assessment) to discuss the lay of the land and the best way forward.

01/02/2024

It was a pleasure to work with Piwakawaka Developments as their preferred consultants to undertake the planning, surveying and engineering work for Gardiners Estate subdivision in Harewood, Christchurch, which is now complete with titles issued.

This high-quality development has a total of 19-lots, undertaken in one stage, with section sizes ranging from 500m² - 530m². With only 8 sections left on the market, if you act quickly, you might just be able to pick up one of these beauties. These are available through Bayleys Fendalton Office.

If you’re thinking of subdividing and need some expert advice, whether it be greenfield (large or small), infill residential, commercial or rural, give our friendly team a call on 03 352 5599, or flick us an email at [email protected] - we’re here to help you get the best return on your investment.

15/01/2024

Happy new year from the Team at Survus Consultants

20/12/2023

What a rollercoaster of a year 2023 has been, with the property market going down and the interest rates going up, it has made the perfect storm for an unsettled year. With things now starting to settle and head in the right direction, I think we can all breathe a sigh of relief. A recession? We’re not sure Kiwi’s quite believed that, however the cost-of-living crisis is certainly still on everyone’s mind, and affecting their wallets. Let’s hope the change in Government brings some positivity for everyone in 2024. They are certainly getting stuff sorted in a hurry!

So, without further ado, it’s time we all packed up our tools and head into what we hope is some sunny warm weather for the Christmas New Year break. Our staff have certainly worked hard this year, and it’s time they took some time-out to recharge their batteries. We will be closed from midday today (Thursday 21st December) and will be re-opening our doors on Monday 8th January 2024. Not everyone will be back, just the skeleton staff (underfed ones).

We would like to thank all our clients and wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a safe and happy new year. Here’s to 2024.

18/12/2023

With summer now upon us, we thought we would share a project that encapsulates the beauty of the Canterbury region. Nestled deep the Lowry Hills Range, Malc and Vince have been undertaking the required work for a lease plan of a large forestry block. Preparing a lease area was the most economical way for the property owner to earn carbon credits from his recently re-planted trees. As you can see, the boys had our trusty side by side on site to enable safe & efficient transport around the farm which covers well over 1,000 hectares. It is essential to have the right equipment for projects like this so things are completed quickly.

If you have a project like this, or need advice on any form of subdivision, please feel free to contact one of our friendly and knowledgeable team on 0800 953 273 and [email protected]. We are happy to come to your farm free of charge* (subject to initial assessment) to discuss the lay of the land and the best way forward.

15/11/2023

Next Thursday 23rd November we will be throwing on our boots and heading out to NC Equipment's KRONE Agriculture demo day in Culverden.

These Demonstration Days are always great events for farmers, contractors, and the likes, to head along to and check out some fine machinery in action, plus while you’re there, we will be happy to chat through any rural survey or subdivision work you may want to know about. This includes the topical National Policy Statement – Highly Productive Land and how this may affect your farming future, and how we can help you undertake clever subdivisions, boundary adjustments and the like under this changing environment.

Come have a yarn and a cold one with our friendly rural team.

When: Thursday 23rd November from 1pm-4pm
Where: 197 Culverden Road, Culverden (Dalzell Contracting)

09/11/2023

Last Friday Reuben & Georgina headed up and over the hill to support the Lions Club of Akaroa & Bays at their annual charity golf tournament.

The event raised around 23k with the major recipient on the day being the Banks Peninsula Sports & Recreation Society – the Lions provide much needed support for the local community, and we are privileged to be able to support these sorts of events.

We even managed to raise a couple of hundred dollars extra on the day for the Lions with our guess the golf balls in the jar and the lucky winner Jed walking away with a lovely hamper.

Well done to those that braved the weather to play golf for the worthy occasion!

02/11/2023

This week’s is the Northeast Rangiora Water Supply Main in Rangiora, a Waimakariri District Council project and requiring both day and night work to get the job done with the minimum of disruption to traffic and residents.

Both Shane and Vince have spent numerous days out in the field picking up all the services, sumps, footpaths, the road, kerb and channel, manholes and inverts. It has certainly been big job and has involved traffic management with some of the work being undertaken at night to ensure safety for all involved. They are now back in the office working through all their data to enable preparation of the project deliverables.

We have worked for most Councils throughout Canterbury and beyond, and forged long-term associations with key staff, which ensures seamless working relationships.

If you’re after a topographical survey, whether you are a company, council or individual, and be it big or small, anywhere in the Canterbury area from the Mackenzie Country right up to Kaikoura and across to (and including) the West Coast, then drop us a line on 03 352 5599 or email [email protected] and we will take care of you. We do free quotes and guaranteed delivery times.

23/10/2023

On a beautiful warm spring morning Hamish and Georgina headed out to the Hazlett’s Coalgate saleyards to check out the Spring Beef Competition Auction, and caught up with some of the locals and not so locals, about how we could help them increase the value of their land with clever subdivision.

The day was a great success for all, and a change of scenery for our team to get out and about and get in front of the people that really matter to our business.

The Survus+Rural team plan to attend these sales a couple of times a month or as time prevails, however you can always reach us anytime for a chat about how we can assist you with the development and subdivision of your land on [email protected] and or 0800 787 775. We offer good, free advice and love getting out in the country, so are happy to attend on site, free of charge, to run over the farm to see what can be done.

Call us now….

11/10/2023

Bowling and brews for the Survus team last Friday🎳🍻

For our monthly social club, we left our natural habitat, and headed down to Zone Bowling Garden City for a few games of 10 pin, and to spend some time in the arcade, reminiscent of our younger days. Congratulations to Vincent Pooley for winning the Survus Consultants 10 Pin Champion for 2023, followed closely by Amber Drake and Andrew Cain in third place. We won’t mention who our wooden spoon winner was, but let’s just say, she won’t be “marketing” it around.

Feeling thirsty, we then headed to Brew Academy for a cold one (or three) & some nibbles, much to Chris Benns delight – looking merry at the bar.

It was a well-deserved afternoon for the team following a busy few months.

04/10/2023

This week’s is in the picturesque Waipara Valley, where the hills are green and the wine tastes good.

Survus Consultants undertook a 3-lot subdivision including a boundary adjustment with neighbours, to future-plan for the next phase of the estate development. With use of ‘no dwelling’ covenants we were able to fit existing physical features to ensure new titles fitted in with occupation.

This was a reasonably straight forward subdivision from our perspective, with the survey side of things ably undertaken by Alex Morris, one of our licensed cadastral surveyors. As well as spending a day in the hills and taking some incredible shots, he also took care of the field work, post field calcs and dataset preparation, something he takes in his stride.

Subdivisions such as this are no longer easy, or sometimes even possible, given the implementation of the National Policy Statement for Highly Productive Land (NPS-HPL) that was implemented late last year. This is a wide-reaching piece of legislation which has all but put a halt to most rural subdivisions, and generally to get anything approved nowadays, we need to use the expertise of an agricultural consultant to prove that what is proposed satisfies the exemptions available in the NPS-HPL. The opportunities are pretty limited, and always subject to challenge by the council, so using the right team to assess and process rural subdivisions these days is critical.

So, if you are thinking about undertaking a rural subdivision, feel free to contact one of our friendly and knowledgeable team on 0800 953 273 and [email protected]. We are happy to come to your farm free of charge* (subject to initial assessment) to discuss the lay of the land and the best way forward.

20/09/2023

Last Friday Reuben Frizzell, Chris Benns, Georgina Hancox and Hannah Watkinson all attended the Archipro Eat Greet & Meet event at Te Pae in Christchurch. And what a magnificent venue that is for such an event – something we should be proud of here in Otautahi.

Survus Consultants exhibited along with numerous other consultants and design-based professionals working in the construction and design industry. This very polished event was all about creating a relaxing and convivial environment for people who are about to start their journey of building their new home or developments, so they can connect with big brands, retailers, builders, interior designers, architects and consultants. This was a brilliant opportunity for us to provide existing and future clients of Survus an outline of what we do, and how we can assist in getting their project underway, all over a glass of bubbles and canapes. We met some of our past and current clients, and importantly, were able to connect with new clients and contacts with whom we can provide our specialist professional services. Even if you weren’t there and were unfortunate enough to miss the great atmosphere provided by Archipro, we can still look after your business.

One of the most important steps in any sort of development or building project is starting with the correct information. This is where we at Survus step in to ensure your design team start on the right footing. We can assist with anything from a topo survey to boundary offset stakes to get you started, then on to the building set-out, pre-pour and pre-roof location certificates, then following through, where required, with the subdivision process of your development. Whether you are doing a single dwelling, an in-fill development, or a multi-unit complex, we can take care of your needs in a professional, cost-effective, and timely manner.

Drop us a line on 03 352 5599 or email us on [email protected] and we’ll get you started on your journey.

13/09/2023

Meet Shane, he’s our reliable and well organised Senior Survey Technician, and he is our go-to guy for all things topographical!

Shane undertakes 99% of our topographical surveys here at Survus, and he’s been with us doing this sort of work for over 20 years – you could say he’s a bit of professional at it. Whether it be in the back of the Kaikoura Ranges, the central city of Christchurch or the thriving metropolis of Ashburton, he is more than likely the chap who will turn up. Shane is busy at the best of times, but there is always room for more topo work. He always tells us that he has got a few weeks’ worth of work in front of him, but he is so efficient that it gets done quicker than ever!

So, if you’re after a topographical survey, whether it be big or small then drop us a line on 03 352 559 or email [email protected] and we will get you sorted fairly swiftly. We do free quotes and guaranteed delivery times.

11/09/2023

A great profile on an excellent design by our friends at Fabric - Architecture and design. We love the Corten steel features, and were pleased to be involved with the surveying of the site to begin with! How good does it look completed!

Keep us in mind for your next design or build project – we can cover all of the section requirements for architects, builders, developers and lone rangers.
Drop us a line on 03 352 5599 and or email your enquiry to [email protected]

Wanting to build a relaxing home that would feel like a retreat away from the central city, the owners purchased this site in an established mixed use area of C

07/09/2023

This week’s is about a 51-lot, residential subdivision on East Maddisons Road, Rolleston, where construction is well underway and progressing well as the weather warms up.

Vince and Geoff have been undertaking kerb setout this last week, ready for the mcl contracting team to continue constructing the roading network.

Survus Consultants have been involved right from the inception of this project, which was part of a Plan Change process through Council. Our client has used our planning, surveying & engineering services for many subdivisions in the Selwyn District over the last 15 years or so, which indicate we must be doing something right. We feel that repeat business is the finest form of flattery!

If you’re thinking of subdividing and need some expert advice, whether it be greenfield (big or small), infill residential, commercial or rural, give our friendly team a call on 03 352 5599, or flick us an email at [email protected] - we’re here to help you get the best return on your investment.

29/08/2023

This week’s project post is about one of our AMF/Accretion claims currently underway in North Canterbury. This client’s property borders the Eyre River and they have been using the dry riverbed for years, recently harvested a crop of pine trees off it, and we are now working with the client and ECan to create land parcels to formally claim that land and include it in their respective titles.

And what is AMF? This isn’t the Arab Monetary Fund or the Australian Military Forces we are talking about here, but it stands for ‘ad medium filum aquae’, which is basically Latin for ‘to the centre-line of the river’. Where AMF rights are applicable, it is possible to claim the old dried-up riverbed up to the old centreline of the river, or to the water course, whichever you hit first, however it isn’t as easy as it sounds. Firstly, in most cases a land status report is required, and if the result of that is that AMF rights apply, we then undertake a definition survey of the land in question. Supporting reports from soil engineers are sometimes required to confirm what has caused the river to move over the years. If an AMF claim isn’t viable an Accretion Claim may be possible, and this follows a similar process of action, although what area can be claimed is often different than an AMF claim. With good arable land worth around $30,000/ha, it doesn’t take much land to make such a claim worthwhile, once added to your title area.

These types of surveys are not everyone’s cup of tea, but we have a couple of dedicated surveyors who are up for these, and love getting their feet wet out in the field. If you are looking to undertake something like this, or are wondering if you can claim the land adjacent to your property into your title, get in touch with us today and we should be able to help you in this department.

See Survus+Rural for all your rural subdivisions, covering everything from lifestyle blocks, larger rural subdivisions for whatever you require, along with forestry and viticultural projects Canterbury wide. We also pop over the Alps to the West Coast if you have land to subdivide over there as well.

24/08/2023

This week we wanted to highlight the Waihora Rugby Football Club (NZ) Division 1 rugby team, which Survus+Rural has been delighted to sponsor for this 2023 season.
These boys worked extremely hard throughout the rounds and made their way to the finals in the Ellesmere competition - however, the team unfortunately were beaten on the day, losing to Prebbleton Rugby Football Club 37-3. A commendable and extremely good result for a great team. We would like to congratulate the club, the team and supporters and all their coaching staff on this! Bring on the 2024 season – we will show them how it’s done!

Survus+Rural are proud to be displayed on the boys’ shorts……. Check out that scrum below and those shorts!

Photo credit to Scott Rait of SMR Event Photography.

18/08/2023

This week’s showcases another stunning development of 9 Georgian style townhouses by Brooksfield Townhouses at 24 Bunyan Street, Waltham.

These beautifully designed townhouses are being constructed on a large 1125m² corner site, and will be presented to the market as 9 separate fee-simple titles containing either a 2 or 3 bedroom townhouse, complete with off street parking, and the latest modern features. You can’t get much better than that.

Survus Consultants are proud to have been involved in such a stunning development, working for a team of guys who have great appreciation for style, balance and form. Brooksfield are leading the way in tasteful, traditional townhouse developments that create sound investments for the future. Survus are here to support and deliver the survey process and can cover land-use and subdivision consents, LT surveys and associated work, and collaborate cleverly with the legal team to ensure all work is done correctly and on time.

This is yet another great project of Brooksfield’s that we have been involved with - just check out 9-13 Bunyan Street down the road……. Go on give Brooksfield Townhouses a call, you’ll be glad you did.

If you're thinking you might need some expert advice with a subdivision, whether it be with building commitment, creating a vacant lot or 200 lot Greenfields Development, please feel free to touch base with our friendly and knowledgeable team on 03 352 5599 or [email protected] - we’d love to hear from you.

09/08/2023

This week it’s time to shine the spotlight on our dedicated and no-nonsense Survey Operations Manager Chris Benns.

Third time’s a charm… After leaving the crew and coming back again, and again, it’s safe to say Chris’ heart is with the Survus crew — unless he gets offered a job as a council lawn mower.

As the Cadastral Survey Manager, Chris enjoys the balance of working both in the field and the office. He looks after all the guys that bang in the pegs, then oversees the creation of the survey datasets (used to be called Survey Plans in the old days). Although he may appear a bit of a rough diamond, he is fastidiously fussy when it comes to survey work. Plus, he has a heart of gold and a life full of interesting experiences. (And he ain’t as old as he looks).

Outside of work (which isn’t very much) Chris is partial to a bit of craft beer, loves big bikes, weekending at Birdlings Flat and the banter of those around him.