They:

• record the physical features of our natural and built environments to provide up-to-date maps and information
• provide a location-based reference system to enable accurate positioning of land and sea features
• manage our Crown land, river and lake beds, administering high country pastoral leases, and Crown forestry licenses on land held for Treaty settlements
• survey our sea, providing official nautical charts and publications for safety at sea
• help make our location-based information easy to find, share and use
• set rating valuation standards and work with local government to ensure confidence in our rating valuation system
• manage our survey and title transactions to provide confidence in our property rights system
• administer the rules for overseas investment in sensitive New Zealand assets, ensuring a balance between protecting those assets and facilitating investments that benefit New Zealand.

They also:

• Support the New Zealand Geographic Board in the naming of our geographic features and places, including those on the continental shelf and in the Ross Sea region of Antarctica.