Home > Plan topics > Esplanade reserves, esplanade strips and access strips under the RMA >

The Queen 's Chain

The reservation of land along the margins of waterways had its origins in early legislation governing subdivision and settlement of Crown land in New Zealand. Queen Victoria sent instructions to Governor Hobson on 5 December 1840 to reserve land along water bodies and not to allow these reserved areas to be occupied for private purposes. Instructions issued by the Surveyor-General under Regulations pursuant to the Land Act 1877 required reserves of 100 links (ie, 1 chain) along navigable rivers. By 1886 these provisions had been extended to settlement surveys of Crown land in coastal areas. Section 110 of the Land Act 1892 required a 66-foot (ie, 1 chain) wide strip of land to be reserved along the coast, lakes over 50 acres, rivers over 33 feet wide, and rivers under 33 feet wide at the discretion of the Commissioner. These early statutory requirements relating to survey and subdivision of Crown land gave rise to the colloquial term 'the Queen 's Chain ' - which is still used today to refer generally to reserved land along the margins of waterways and the coast.

For further information on the Law on Public Access along Water Margins, refer to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry website.