Guide to developing a new property

Clearance and easements

Paperwork. Usually, the uninspiring part of any development but often the most important. When our network is built to a site, a clearance letter can be a very useful document as it’s often required for resource consent purposes. Keep reading to find out when you can get your clearance letter and what else is involved, including land title plans and easements.

What is a clearance letter?

Most local Councils require a letter from Chorus to confirm phone and internet services are available at the property as part of their 224c resource consent conditions (Auckland Council).

This letter will advise the date from which the Chorus network will be in place allowing occupants to go ahead and get a broadband connection through their chosen service provider.

You can also use the clearance letter to confirm to potential homebuyers that the Chorus fibre network is available. With more connected devices and more people working at home than ever before, having a dedicated, fast and consistently reliable fibre broadband connection can be a real drawcard for prospective purchasers.

The Chorus clearance letter is included as part of your fee with Chorus, however there are a few things we need to have lined up first before we can issue it.

Looking up a right-of-way at a group of suburban houses.

When can I get a clearance letter?

Before we can supply a clearance letter, there are a few requirements that need to be met:

The clearance letter will be issued for the number of connections that we have agreed to complete as part of our contract with you. That's why it is important to ensure you split up your request into different stages if you know the delivery timeframes will be different. If your requirements change and you can only complete some of the site initially, let us know as we may be able to agree a variation to the contract to split the project up to align with your new timings.

*Supplying the as-built documentation is no longer your responsibility for jobs which were accepted, and any relevant fees paid, after 1st April 2022.

What is a Land Title plan?

Once all existing and new network has been identified, your surveyor will draft the land title (LT) plan. An LT plan is a survey plan for the land on which the development is occurring, in accordance with all statutory requirements, outlining the dimensions of all legal land parcels and any covenants or easements.

You can upload the draft LT plan to your account as soon as you have it ready. It is a requirement that we can view this document prior to releasing the Chorus clearance letter.

Learn more: View an example land title plan

What are easements?

Easements are required where the Chorus network, whether existing or new, crosses over private property that you or the future property owner doesn’t have sole authority over. For example, where any part of our network is installed over shared land, such as Right of Ways or cross leases; or if any of our network is installed through one lot to service a different lot, then an easement will be required. The aim of an easement is to protect our access rights for any maintenance and/or upgrade needs.

An easement must be:

  • noted in either the Memorandum or Schedule of Easements
  • made out as an Easement in Gross in favour of “Chorus New Zealand Ltd” for the “right to Convey Telecommunications”
  • for an area of 1.5m either side of the Chorus network, unless otherwise agreed

If there are easements, your solicitor will need to complete the Authority and Instruction Form and Easement Instrument form. Once these two documents and the Land Title Plan are ready, you or your solicitor can provide them to us by:

Chorus Easements
10 Customhouse Quay
PO Box 993
Wellington 0614

For queries about the Chorus Easements Portal process, contact can be made at: subdivision@chapmantripp.com

The completed documentation will be emailed back to you within seven working days of receiving the required documentation from your solicitor. A processing fee for the easement of $490 (+GST) will be payable either through the online portal, or by invoice. There is also an option for urgent processing within 3 business days for $770 (+GST).

The Easement in Gross requirement may be waived in certain circumstances. If there is an existing easement and the completed stage will be made up of three lots or fewer, you can ask us to review the easement requirement. You’ll need to get in touch with us directly by emailing siteacquisition@chorus.co.nz before we complete our design step, and we’ll let you know if we agree to waive the easement requirement.