Frequently Asked Questions

Green Zone is a free, interactive crime map of New Zealand. It visualises police-reported crime data across the country, helping New Zealanders understand crime rates and patterns in their local areas. Whether you're researching a neighbourhood, relocating, or just curious about local safety, Green Zone gives you a clear, data-driven picture.

Yes, Green Zone is completely free. We're supported by advertising to cover server and data costs. There are no paid plans, no subscriptions, and no accounts required — just open the map and explore.

No. Green Zone does not require any sign-up or registration. You can access the full crime map and all features without creating an account or providing any personal information.

Our crime data is sourced from the New Zealand Police, who publish official crime statistics through policedata.nz. This is the same data used by government agencies and researchers to analyse crime trends across Aotearoa.

We update our crime data monthly, in line with the release schedule of NZ Police crime statistics. This ensures you're always viewing the most current picture of crime rates across New Zealand.

Green Zone displays a range of crime categories including violent crime, property crime, burglary, theft, assault, robbery, and sexual assault. Each category is colour-coded on the map, and you can toggle individual categories on or off to focus on what matters to you.

Crime rates are calculated as the number of reported incidents per 10,000 residents in each area. This allows for fair comparisons between areas with different population sizes. We use population data from Statistics NZ to ensure accurate rate calculations.

We use official data directly from NZ Police. However, crime statistics only reflect reported crimes — not all crimes are reported to police. Additionally, data is aggregated to statistical area units, so individual addresses or streets are not identifiable. We present the data as-is from official sources.

Simply zoom in and drag the map to explore different areas of New Zealand. Each coloured overlay represents different crime rates — green indicates lower crime rates, yellow and orange indicate moderate rates, and red indicates higher rates. Use the search bar to jump to a specific town, suburb, or city to see its detailed crime profile.

The map uses a colour gradient from green to red. Green areas have relatively lower crime rates, while red areas have higher crime rates. The colour intensity reflects the total number of reported incidents per 10,000 residents, giving you a quick visual snapshot of safety across different neighbourhoods.

Yes! Use the search bar to look up different suburbs or towns. Each area's profile shows detailed breakdowns of crime by category, allowing you to compare rates side by side. You can also view trends over time to see whether crime is increasing or decreasing in each area.

Green Zone covers the entire country — from the Far North to Southland. We include all major cities (Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Hamilton, Tauranga, Dunedin) as well as regional towns and rural areas. If it's in the NZ Police data, it's on our map.

Yes. Each area profile includes a trend indicator showing whether crime rates have been going up, down, or staying stable over recent periods. This helps you understand not just the current crime level, but the direction it's heading.

Yes. Green Zone is fully responsive and works on smartphones, tablets, and desktop computers. The map interface adapts to your screen size, so you can check crime rates on the go.

We do not collect personal data or track individual users. We use basic analytics to understand site traffic and improve the service, and we may show advertisements that use cookies. For full details, please see our Privacy Policy.

Green Zone is an independent project run at our own cost. Advertisements help cover server hosting, data processing, and maintenance expenses so we can keep the service free for everyone. We aim to keep ads unobtrusive and relevant.