Licensed Cadastral Surveyor | Christchurch & North Canterbury
A genuine path to shareholding in an established local practice
This one is different.

Our client is a small, locally owned cadastral surveying practice based in Christchurch, working across Canterbury and the wider South Island.

The owner is looking for a Licensed Cadastral Surveyor who can operate independently from day one, with the genuine intention of eventually bringing the right person into the business as a shareholder.

Not a vague "potential future opportunity". Not something buried in a five-year plan.

The owner is open about wanting to find someone who could genuinely be part of the business. The timing, structure and value would all need to be worked through properly with the right person, but the intention is real.

And that's what makes this role worth a conversation.

Why this one is worth a look
Ownership without starting from zero.
If you've considered going out on your own but don't want to build a practice, client base and reputation from scratch, this could be the middle ground. An established business, existing clients, someone experienced to work alongside and a genuine route to equity.

Your name on the work.
This is a small practice, so you'll deal directly with clients and have ownership of your projects from start to finish. You'll define boundaries, certify your own datasets and have direct conversations with the people paying for the work.

Real autonomy.
You'll be trusted to run your own jobs, make decisions and use your professional judgement. There is an experienced Licensed Surveyor alongside you when you need to bounce something around, but no layers of management sitting over the top.

Varied Canterbury and South Island work.
Subdivisions, boundary definition and dispute resolution, easements, Building Line Certificates, construction set-out, earthworks and level surveys across residential, rural and civil projects.

What you'll be doing

• Cadastral definition, calculations, documentation, certification and Landonline lodgement
  
  
• Running subdivision projects from initial scope and pricing through to title issue, including 223/224 certification
  
  
• Boundary definition and dispute resolution
  
  
• Easement surveys and Building Line Certificates
  
  
• Construction set-out, level, earthworks and as-built surveys
  
  
• Working directly with clients, councils, LINZ, consultants and contractors
  
  
• Contributing to how the practice operates, including systems, pricing and workflow
  
  

The shareholding path
To be completely upfront, the owner wants to find a Licensed Cadastral Surveyor who could become a shareholder.

There isn't a pre-packaged formula.

The timing, structure, percentage and valuation would all be discussed with the right person and shaped around both the individual and the business.

What matters is that the owner is genuinely open to it from the "get go".

If you've thought about business ownership but aren't interested in starting a practice from scratch, this is the conversation to have.

The culture
Small, practical and low on red tape.

Decisions happen through conversation rather than committees and "meetings about the meetings". The quality of the survey work matters more than anything, and you'll be working directly alongside the person who owns the business.

If you like corporate structures and layers of approval, this probably isn't for you.

The package

• Competitive senior remuneration reflecting your licensed status and experience
  
  
• Ideally 3+ years' experience as an LCS
  
  
• Genuine path to shareholding for the right person
  
  
• Company vehicle
  
  
• CSLB registration, professional memberships and CPD supported
  
  
• Flexibility that comes with a small practice
  
  
• Direct working relationship with the business owner
  
  

What you'll bring
Essential

• Licensed Cadastral Surveyor registered with the Cadastral Surveyors Licensing Board of New Zealand, ideally with 3+ years' experience as an LCS
  
  
• Bachelor of Surveying (BSurv) or equivalent recognised tertiary qualification
  
  
• Strong experience across cadastral, subdivision and general surveying at licensed level
  
  
• Sound knowledge of the Cadastral Survey Rules and local-authority subdivision and certification processes
  
  
• Confidence dealing directly with clients around scope, fees and programmes
  
  
• Full New Zealand driver's licence
  
  

Nice to have

• Boundary dispute and complex definition experience
  
  
• Landonline, 12d, Trimble or Leica experience
  
  
• Civil construction set-out and earthworks experience
  
  
• Survey and Spatial New Zealand membership
  
  
• Interest in the commercial and practice-management side of surveying
  
  

Next Steps
At 84 Recruitment, we're proud to be the only preferred recruitment partner of Survey & Spatial New Zealand.

If this opportunity sounds like it could be the right move, or you'd simply like to explore it further, we'd welcome a confidential conversation.
Reach out directly to Andres Bedoya | Email: andres@84recruitment.co.nz | Contact: 0275875726