IR-01-26-7726
10 April 2026
Amy Ferguson
[FYI request #33956 email]
Dear Amy
Request for information
Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) request dated 4 March 2026. You
requested:
Under the Official Information Act 1982 I request updated information relating to
Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), commonly referred to as drones,
used by New Zealand Police.
This request fol ows previous Official Information Act responses provided to me
regarding Police RPAS capability and pilot training, including responses dated 18
November 2019 (IR-01-19-28946) and 8 July 2021 (IR-01-21-18597).
Those responses outlined the number of RPAS held by Police and the number of
trained RPAS pilots at that time. I am seeking updated information to maintain an
accurate and consistent public record of how this capability has developed since
those responses.
Please provide the following information as at the most recent date available.
1. RPAS fleet
The current number of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) owned, leased,
or otherwise operated by New Zealand Police.
Please include:
the number of RPAS systems available nationally
the Police organisational units authorised to deploy RPAS.
As at 10 March 2026, New Zealand Police (Police) currently owns and maintains a fleet of
152 Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems
(RPAS). The use of these devices is not limited to
specific organisational units within Police, instead they are held as a means to increase
organisation-wide capability.
2. RPAS operators
The number of individuals currently authorised to operate RPAS for Police
purposes.
Police National Headquarters 180 Molesworth Street. PO Box 3017, Wellington 6140, New Zealand.
Telephone: 04 474 9499. Fax: 04 498 7400. www.police.govt.nz
Please provide the number of operators who are:
sworn Police officers
non-sworn Police employees
contractors or externally engaged operators.
Police currently has 207 frontline staff qualified to operate the RPAS fleet. No non-sworn
Police employees, contractors or external operators are engaged to operate RPAS.
3. Aviation certification
Documentation confirming the regulatory basis under which Police RPAS
operations are conducted, including:
whether New Zealand Police currently holds Civil Aviation Authority Part 102
certification, or
whether RPAS operations are conducted under another organisation’s
certification.
The rules governing the use of RPAS are contained in the Civil Aviation Rules
1. The two
key rules are Part 101 and Part 102.
Part 101 rules are for recreational users and some commercial users who elect not to
attain Part 102 certification. Most complaints to Police wil involve use under Part 101
rules.
To comply with Part 101
2, operators must:
•
not operate an aircraft 25kg or larger and always ensure that it is safe to operate
•
at al times take al practicable steps to minimise hazards to persons, property,
and other aircraft
•
fly only in daylight ‐ unless shielded operation or indoors (exceptions exist – night
rating)
•
give way to al crewed aircraft
•
be able to always see the aircraft with own eye
•
not fly higher than 120 metres above ground level (exceptions exist)
•
have knowledge of airspace restrictions in force
•
when flying in controlled airspace, obtain air traffic control clearance
•
not fly in special use airspace without permission of the control ing authority
•
have consent from anyone below the aircraft
•
have consent of the property owner or person in charge of the area being flown
above
•
not operate within 4 km of an aerodrome (exceptions exist).
1 https://www.aviation.govt.nz/drones/
2 https://www.aviation.govt.nz/drones/regulations/part-101-rules-for-
drones/#:~:text=Under%20Part%20101%20Gyrogliders%20and,4%20km%20of%20their%20aerodr
ome
Part 102 rules enable users who have this certification to operate in accordance with their
exposition (the application showing how they wil operate). These users may have
privileges that allow them to fly over private property without seeking consent from those
property owners.
Police holds a Part 102 Unmanned Aircraft Operator Certificate (UAOC). The certificate
number is UAOC82795.
Operational use of RPAS are not conducted under any other organisation’s certification.
4. RPAS operational deployment
Records showing the number of RPAS deployments conducted by New Zealand
Police in each calendar year since 2021.
Records of RPAS deployments were not held prior to 2023. This part of your request is
refused under section 18(g) as the information requested is not held.
However, a flight management system was implemented on 1 July 2023, with a migration
to the system occurring between January and July of that year.
Flight records for 2023 to 2026 are as fol ows, and include training flights:
Year
Number of flights
2023
3,812
2024
6,804
2025
9,743
2026
3 1,482
5. Imaging sensors and analytical capability
Information describing the types of imaging capability attached to RPAS used by
Police, including but not limited to:
standard visual cameras
zoom or long-range optical systems
thermal or infrared imaging
mapping or scene-reconstruction capability
software or systems used to analyse imagery captured by RPAS.
Please also provide documentation describing any automated image analysis,
object detection, or identification capability used in connection with RPAS
imagery.
3 As at 10 March
To provide specific details on the zoom and imaging capabilities of the drones operated
by New Zealand Police would reveal operational capability and likely allow alleged
offenders to actively counter their detection.
This part of your request is refused under section 6(c) of the OIA, as the making available
of that information would be likely to prejudice the maintenance of the law, including the
prevention, investigation, and detection of offences, and the right to a fair trial.
6. Image processing and data systems
Documents describing the systems or software used to process, store, or analyse
imagery captured by RPAS.
Where imagery is captured, how it is stored is determined by the purpose of the capture.
A number of Police Manual chapters relating to information management have been
published externally and wil be of interest to you as they relate to digital information.
They are the following:
•
Information Management: Digital disposal policy
4
•
Information Management: Information management policy
5
•
Information Management: Retention and disposal of Police records
6
7. Governance and oversight
Documents identifying the organisational body or governance group responsible
for oversight of RPAS capability and associated data management.
The Aviation, Maritime and Border Group provides oversight of the New Zealand Police’s
RPAs capability, including CAA certification. Al flight data is recorded on a flight
management system.
8. Auditing and compliance
Documents describing any audit, review, compliance, or privacy assessment
processes relating to:
RPAS operations
imagery or data col ected through RPAS systems.
Please provide the information in electronic form where available.
RPAS flights are audited to confirm certification requirements and identify opportunities to
review the certification procedures.
4 https://www.police.govt.nz/sites/default/files/publications/information-management-digital-
disposal-policy-070524.pdf
5 https://www.police.govt.nz/sites/default/files/publications/information-management-policy-
031125.pdf
6 https://www.police.govt.nz/sites/default/files/publications/im-retention-disposal-police-records-
250324.pdf
As noted in the Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) Police Instructions
7, the
protection of privacy is a key consideration when using the devices. There are a number
of statutes that al ow for the collection of evidence for court or to resolve emergency
situations, and controls the manner in which Police does so. To comply with the Privacy
Act 2020, when using RPAS it is important to remember the key Information Privacy
Principles which include the fol owing:
•
Only collect information you need: take care in the deployment of [RPAS] to
avoid viewing or capturing imagery outside the target location.
•
Tell people about what you are doing: Where a [RPAS] is used on a pre‐planned
operation, where practicable, Police should notify people in the area observed of
the operation. Where appropriate, after an RPAS operation, Police should
consider advising any people who may have been subject to the RPAS scrutiny
e.g., neighbouring properties / residences or business premises.
•
Control access to personal information: keep the information gathered via the
[RPAS] secure by storing all imagery in approved Police storage locations and
identified by reference to a valid exhibit number or Police record for the event or
incident.
•
Once you no longer need the personal information for the reason you collected it
dispose of it securely so that no‐one can retrieve it: If the use of the visual
surveil ance device via RPAS is pursuant to the Search and Surveil ance Act
2012, deal with evidence in the manner required under that Act. In al other
cases, information should be deleted as soon as it is not needed for the purpose
it was col ected.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this
decision. Information about how to make a complaint is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.
Please note that as part of its commitment to openness and transparency, Police
proactively releases some information and documents that may be of interest to the
public. An anonymised version of this response may be publicly released on the New
Zealand Police website.
Your sincerely
Detective Superintendent Sean Hansen
A/Director Tactical Operations
New Zealand Police
7 https://www.police.govt.nz/sites/default/files/publications/remotely-piloted-aircraft-systems-
redacted-200924.pdf
