More New Zealanders are accessing free government data, according to new figures from Land Information New Zealand Data Service.

Last year saw another 7650 users register to the service, bringing the total number of registered users to more than 20,000.

“Kiwis have used the LINZ Data Service to do important work and develop great products - monitoring pests that might harm our horticultural industries, planning landscape gardens, and creating map apps,” explains Land Information Minister Louise Upston.

“With the number of users continuing to rise, I'm excited to see what people come up with next,” she says.

Upston says the LINZ Data service has gone from strength to strength since its launch in 2011.

It has won three international awards and a recent customer survey found that more than half of those surveyed depend on the service, with a further 20% describing it as critical to the success of their business

“Data available on the service includes the same data used by LINZ for making maps and charts, as well as information about property boundaries, place names, and aerial imagery,” she adds.