No ‘quick fix’ for agricultural drone operations, warns aviation industry

Media release

29 April 2026

No ‘quick fix’ for agricultural drone operations, warns aviation industry

Reform of the rules governing agricultural drone operations must be staged and supported by licensing and rating programmes before existing safeguards are removed, warns the Aviation Industry Association of New Zealand (AIANZ).

Dr Isaac Henderson, Vice President of AIANZ, says that while the industry supports government moves to improve farmer access to agricultural drones outlined in the Rules Update Programme, this is not a low-risk activity and not one that lends itself to quick fixes.

“Agricultural drone operations are the fastest-growing sector in aviation and a significant enabler of productivity for farmers.

“While the current certification system can be cumbersome for farmers undertaking drone operations on their own properties, it exists to protect people and property, and any changes need to maintain that protection.

“Agricultural spray drones are large, fast aircraft that can cause serious harm if not used appropriately. We need to see a licensing and rating system that enables agrichemical application by drone on an operator’s own property. Until such a system exists, simplification risks throwing out the baby with the bathwater.”

Dr Henderson says it was wrong to assume that drone operations on a farmer’s “own property” were low risk, because risk extended beyond property boundaries to neighbouring properties, public infrastructure, and other airspace users.

“What if a farmer, operating a 100-150 kg drone at speed along a boundary next to a state highway, had a flyaway or system failure? That aircraft could strike a vehicle, with a high likelihood of fatal outcomes.”

Likewise, agricultural drone spraying involves serious environmental risks that must be managed through appropriate safeguards.

“Agrichemical drone application should not be seen as a low-risk activity that anyone can do simply by buying a drone and getting on with it. Operators need to be trained, aircraft need to be properly maintained, and risks need to be actively managed.

“If we are serious about increasing productivity, we cannot expose high-value sectors such as viticulture to unacceptable chemical risk. If a neighbouring property undertakes aerial application during an inversion layer, the impact can extend well beyond the intended area.

“These risks can be managed through appropriate training and rating requirements.”

ENDS

For more information contact Alice Taylor | 021 02785648 | alice@latitudesc.co.nz