Geospatial information is an increasingly fundamental building block of information and communications technology used by the public, business and government. Opus has played a significant role in a number of supporting projects in the last couple of years which have helped to build the strategic case for government investment in both aerial imagery datasets and digital property boundaries. This has led to a current project with the New Zealand Transport Agency to build a business case for the investment in a coordinated national road network dataset. Our paper brings together findings from consultation with stakeholders and end-users, revealing common themes on current dataset issues, future requirements and possible benefits. First, the implications for end-users of the present situation will be highlighted, using case study examples. Then, the potential outcomes of improving geospatial information will be indicated. In conclusion, we provide an exploratory framework for the evaluation of potential benefits arising from improved authoritative data, and make the case that although it is difficult to quantify the full range of benefits, there are wide-ranging advantages to the economy that justify government investing in nationally authoritative geospatial information.