The first thing to understand is what activities will be undertaken with the drones, and whether it falls under Part 101 or Part 102, as the allowed activities and compliance requirements differ greatly between to the two.

If your company is flying according to the conditions listed below, their activities fall under Part 101 regulation - everything else is considered a Part 102 operation:

• Not operating in the hours of darkness (unless as a shielded operation)
• Not operating within 4 Kms of an airport/heliport (unless as a shielded operation)
• Not operating above 400 feet (120 meters) above ground level
• Not operating within a controlled airspace beyond the 4 km limit of airports
• Not flying over people without their permission
• Not flying over property without the permission of the landowner (incl roads and railways)
• Not applying liquid spray or pellets to pasture
• Not flying a drone with an unladen weight greater than 25 Kgs

Note: a shielded operation is where the drone remains within 100m of, and below the top of, natural or man-made objects such as trees/buildings.

If your pilots are complying with the above conditions, they will be flying under Part 101. While your pilots are not required to have any qualification for this, we highly recommend they attain a Part 101 Certification to ensure they are familiar with the relevant aviation laws and rules, ensuring every flight is a safe flight. This certification will also allow your pilots to fly within 4km of an airport. If their activities change, they will be required to attain 102 certification, and your business will have extra responsibilities detailed below.

Need to organise Part 101 Certification for your pilots? Need help creating an internal safety document? We can help. Simply fill in the contact form at the end of this page, and we will be in touch shortly.

Operating outside of the Part 101 regulations requires the pilot to have NZ Professional RPAS Pilot Certificate to Part 102 standard, and it also requires the company they operate under to develop and hold an Exposition (a highly specific and detailed document outlining how you will operate safely) and attain a UAOC (Unmanned Air Operators Certificate, this works in conjunction with the Exposition to provide evidence to CAA that the company and its pilots are operating safely).

The Exposition can take several months to be approved once submitted to CAA, and it is crucial to ensure this document meets their standards to avoid extra fees and further delays - that's why we provide an Exposition Writing Service. We have in-depth knowledge of CAA regulations and requirements across a range of operations and industries, ensuring that your exposition fully complies with CAA Part 102 standards so you can get flying sooner. To organise certifications and exposition writing, simply fill in the contact form below and we will be in touch shortly.