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Improving Land Use and Land Potential Decision Making in Waikato District

WSP’s Land Capacity Model, co-developed with Waikato District Council, delivers a future-ready digital planning tool that streamlines land use data and maximises development potential across rural, residential, industrial, and commercial zones.

Project Overview

The Land Capacity Model (LCM) is a digital solution co-created by Waikato District Council and WSP to centralise and streamline land capacity data across the district. Serving a high-growth region between Auckland and Hamilton, Waikato DC faces increasing demand for accurate, future-ready planning tools. The LCM responds to this need by providing easy access to land use data and information - rural, residential, industrial, and commercial via a centralised information and insights system.

Using defined input parameters and exclusions, the model calculates the maximum lot yield potential, both current and future, based on district plans, site utilisation, and vertical development opportunities. Outputs are delivered via QGIS and custom-built Power BI dashboards, providing users with an interactive online tool to help better understand current and planned land use, and options for future land development.

This approach reduced the need for manual calculations and fragmented analysis, enabling a more efficient reporting framework.

Location

  • Waikato, New Zealand

Project status

  • Phase 1 completed

Our Delivery Approach

WSP began this project providing strategic planning and business analysis services, working closely with Waikato DC’s Business Intelligence (BI) Lead and business stakeholders to define delivery options, cost estimates and requirements for the Phase 1 project.

Phase 1 was delivered using Agile project management methodology within Waikato DC’s Microsoft Azure environment, planned in DevOps and documented in Waikato DC’s Matakite Wiki. Digital teams from WSP in New Zealand and Australia collaborated to build:

  • A static base model: establishing a consistent framework for calculating land capacity using fixed parameters, forming a reliable baseline for future development.
  • Basic scenario testing: enabling users to test variations in land use assumptions, such as zoning changes or vertical utilisation, and assess their impact on lot yield potential.
GIS and BI monitoring tools: developed within QGIS and Power BI to visualise model outputs and track performance, providing an intuitive interface for accessing insights and monitoring changes over time.

Technical Highlights

The LCM was built with scalability, transparency, and maintainability in mind, in contrast to a similar WSP software tool LandiQ. Drawing on WSP’s global expertise, we partnered with our Australian WSP team - the data scientists behind LandiQ - to develop “LandiQ Lite”, a fit-for-purpose, cost-effective solution for New Zealand local councils. From scripting to documentation, technical choices were made that supported Waikato DC’s long-term planning needs, day-to-day usability, Business Intelligence best practice and development budget.

Key features included:
• Python and SQL scripting for definition and calculation of land parcels and yield optimisation.
• Open scripting methods and in-code documentation implemented to support ongoing model maintenance and future enhancements. 
• Project documentation integrated into Waikato DC’s Matakite Wiki to ensure delivery process continuity and ease of knowledge transfer.

 

Client Benefits

The delivery of the LCM provides Waikato DC with practical digital tools and processes that improve planning efficiency and clarity, internal capability, and team coordination.

Key benefits include:
• Empowering the Waikato DC BI team to shift from a “bureau service” reporting model to providing direct systems access to business users.
• Proven cross-organisation collaboration and task coordination via Microsoft Teams and DevOps.

 

Primary Services Provided

WSP added value to Waikato DC as a delivery partner with a combination of technical development and strategic advisory services, to support delivery of the model, aligned with Waikato DC’s planning needs:

• Working knowledge of land use requirements via our team’s LandiQ expertise.
• Business & Options Analysis for defining requirements and supporting investment decisions.
• Digital & Strategic Advisory for aligning delivery options with long-term planning goals.
• LCM development coding (Python, R, SQL) for model logic and automated land parcel calculations.
• Project Management and regular project progress analysis for coordinating Agile delivery across teams and platforms.

Future Ready

The LCM sets a new standard for land use planning in the Waikato District. By centralising available data and enabling direct access to insights, it equips business users with the tools to make informed land investment and use decisions—now and into the future.