New Zealand Land Cover Database (LCDB) classes at version 5

Class Code Class Name Class Description

0 Not land Used where the shoreline has moved between timesteps and no other
appropriate class is available to represent an area outside the coastline.
1 Built-up Area (settlement) Commercial, industrial or residential buildings, including associated
infrastructure and amenities, not resolvable as other classes. Low density
‘lifestyle’ residential areas are included where hard surfaces, landscaping and
gardens dominate other land covers.
2 Urban Parkland/Open Space Open, mainly grassed or sparsely-treed, amenity, utility and recreation areas.
The class includes parks and playing fields, public gardens, cemeteries, golf
courses, berms and other vegetated areas usually within or associated with
built-up areas.
5 Transport Infrastructure Artificial surfaces associated with transport such as arterial roads, rail-yards
and airport runways. Skid sites and landings associated with forest logging are
sometimes also included.
6 Surface Mine or Dump Bare surfaces arising from open-cast and other surface mining activities,
quarries, gravel-pits and areas of solid waste disposal such as refuse dumps,
clean-fill dumps and active reclamation sites.
10 Sand or Gravel Bare surfaces dominated by unconsolidated materials generally finer than
coarse gravel (60mm). Typically mapped along sandy seashores and the
margins of lagoons and estuaries, lakes and rivers and some areas subject to
surficial erosion, soil toxicity and extreme exposure.
12 Landslide Bare surfaces arising from mass-movement erosion generally in mountain-
lands and steep hill-country.
14 Permanent Snow and Ice Areas where ice and snow persists through late summer. Typically occurring
above 1800m but also at lower elevations as glaciers.
16 Gravel or Rock Bare surfaces dominated by unconsolidated or consolidated materials
generally coarser than coarse gravel (60mm). Typically mapped along rocky
seashores and rivers, sub-alpine and alpine areas, scree slopes and erosion
pavements.
15 Alpine Grass/Herbfield Typically sparse communities above the actual or theoretical treeline
dominated by herbaceous cushion, mat, turf, and rosette plants and lichens.
Grasses are a minor or infrequent component, whereas stones, boulders and
bare rock are usually conspicuous.
20 Lake or Pond Essentially-permanent, open, fresh-water without emerging vegetation
including artificial features such as oxidation ponds, amenity, farm and fire
ponds and reservoirs as well as natural lakes, ponds and tarns.
21 River Flowing open fresh-water generally more than 30m wide and without emerging
vegetation. It includes artificial features such as canals and channels as well
as natural rivers and streams.
22 Estuarine Open Water Standing or flowing saline water without emerging vegetation including
estuaries, lagoons, and occasionally lakes occurring in saline situations such
as inter-dune hollows and coastal depressions.
30 Short-rotation Cropland Land regularly cultivated for the production of cereal, root, and seed crops,
hops, vegetables, strawberries and field nurseries, often including intervening
grassland, fallow land, and other covers not delineated separately.
33 Orchards, Vineyards or Other Land managed for the production of grapes, pip, citrus and stone fruit, nuts,
Perennial Crops olives, berries, kiwifruit, and other perennial crops. Cultivation for crop renewal
is infrequent and irregular but is sometimes practiced for weed control.
40 High Producing Exotic Grassland Exotic sward grassland of good pastoral quality and vigour reflecting relatively
high soil fertility and intensive grazing management. Clover species, ryegrass
and cocksfoot dominate with lucerne and plantain locally important, but also
including lower-producing grasses exhibiting vigour in areas of good soil
moisture and fertility.
41 Low Producing Grassland Exotic sward grassland and indigenous short tussock grassland of poor
pastoral quality reflecting lower soil fertility and extensive grazing management
or non-agricultural use. Browntop, sweet vernal, danthonia, fescue and
Yorkshire fog dominate, with indigenous short tussocks (hard tussock, blue
tussock and silver tussock) common in the eastern South Island and locally
elsewhere.
43 Tall Tussock Grassland Indigenous snow tussocks in mainly alpine mountain-lands and red tussock in
the central North Island and locally in poorly-drained valley floors, terraces and
basins of both islands.
44 Depleted Grassland Areas, of mainly former short tussock grassland in the drier eastern South
Island high country, degraded by over-grazing, fire, rabbits and weed invasion
among which Hieracium species are conspicuous. Short tussocks usually
occur, as do exotic grasses, but bare ground is more prominent.
45 Herbaceous Freshwater Vegetation Herbaceous wetland communities occurring in freshwater habitats where the
water table is above or just below the substrate surface for most of the year.
The class includes rush, sedge, restiad, and sphagnum communities and other
wetland species, but not flax nor willows which are mapped as Flaxland and
Deciduous Hardwoods respectively.
46 Herbaceous Saline Vegetation Herbaceous wetland communities occurring in saline habitats subject to tidal
inundation or saltwater intrusion. Commonly includes club rush, wire rush and
glasswort, but not mangrove which is mapped separately.
47 Flaxland Areas dominated by New Zealand flax usually swamp flax (harakeke) in damp
sites but occasionally mountain flax (wharariki) on cliffs and mountain slopes.
50 Fernland Bracken fern, umbrella fern, or ring fern, commonly on sites with low fertility
and a history of burning. Manuka, gorse, and/or other shrubs are often a
component of these communities and will succeed Fernland if left undisturbed.
51 Gorse and/or Broom Scrub communities dominated by gorse or Scotch broom generally occurring
on sites of low fertility, often with a history of fire, and insufficient grazing
pressure to control spread. Left undisturbed, this class can be transitional to
Broadleaved Indigenous Hardwoods.
52 Manuka and/or Kanuka Scrub dominated by mānuka and/or kānuka, typically as a successional
community in a reversion toward forest. Mānuka has a wider ecological
tolerance and distribution than kānuka with the latter somewhat concentrated
in the north with particular prominence on the volcanic soils of the central
volcanic plateau.
54 Broadleaved Indigenous Hardwoods Lowland scrub communities dominated by indigenous mixed broadleaved
shrubs such as wineberry, mahoe, five-finger, Pittosporum spp, fuchsia, tutu,
titoki and tree ferns. This class is usually indicative of advanced succession
toward indigenous forest.
55 Sub Alpine Shrubland Highland scrub dominated by indigenous low-growing shrubs including species
of Hebe, Dracophyllum, Olearia, and Cassinia. Predominantly occurring above
the actual or theoretical treeline, this class is also recorded where temperature
inversions have created cooler micro-climates at lower elevations e.g. the ‘frost
flats’ of the central North Island.
56 Mixed Exotic Shrubland Communities of introduced shrubs and climbers such as boxthorn, hawthorn,
elderberry, blackberry, sweet brier, buddleja, and old man’s beard.
58 Matagouri or Grey Scrub Scrub and shrubland comprising small-leaved, often divaricating shrubs such
as matagouri, Coprosma spp, Muehlenbeckia spp., Casinnia spp., and
Parsonsia spp. These, from a distance, often have a grey appearance.
80 Peat Shrubland (Chatham Is) Low-growing shrubland communities usually dominated by Dracophyllum spp.
in association with Cyathodes spp. and ground ferns. Mapped only on the
Chatham Islands.
81 Dune Shrubland (Chatham Is) Low-growing shrubland communities dominated by Leucopogon spp., Pimelia
arenaria and Coprosma spp., in association with sedges and scattered herbs
and grasses. Mapped only on the Chatham Islands.
70 Mangrove Shrubs or small trees of the New Zealand mangrove (Avicennia marina
subspecies australascia) growing in harbours, estuaries, tidal creeks and rivers
north of Kawhia on the west coast and Ohiwa on the east coast.
64 Forest - Harvested Predominantly bare ground arising from the harvesting of exotic forest or, less
commonly, the clearing of indigenous forest. Replanting of exotic forest (or
conversion to a new land use) is not evident and nor is the future use of land
cleared of indigenous forest.
68 Deciduous Hardwoods Exotic deciduous woodlands, predominantly of willows or poplars but also of
oak, elm, ash or other species. Commonly alongside inland water (or as part of
wetlands), or as erosion-control, shelter and amenity plantings.
69 Indigenous Forest Tall forest dominated by indigenous conifer, broadleaved or beech species.
71 Exotic Forest Planted or naturalised forest predominantly of radiata pine but including other
pine species, Douglas fir, cypress, larch, acacia and eucalypts. Production
forestry is the main land use in this class with minor areas devoted to mass-
movement erosion-control and other areas of naturalised (wildling)
establishment.