Maximum drone altitude in New Zealand

What the rules say

Each line is resolved from published facts of New Zealand. "Not resolved" means the corpus does not answer it in a machine-checkable way — never that the law is silent.

• General height limit121.92 mConditional
• Reference datumAGLYes
• Aerodrome-related limitNo
• Structure exceptionNo
• Authorised exceedanceConditional
• Conditional limitsNo

What changes the answer

• altitude

  Flight altitude at or below 400 ft

The rules behind this answer

• Binding lawNational rule

  Low Flying Zone Vertical Limits

  The vertical limits of a designated low flying zone must extend from the surface of the earth up to a height of 500 feet.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Maximum altitude limit

  A person must not operate a remotely piloted aircraft above 400 feet above ground level unless they comply with the conditions and requirements specified in a transport instrument.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• Binding lawNational rule

  Shielded operations in controlled airspace

  A person conducting a shielded operation with an unmanned aircraft in controlled airspace must not exceed the height of the shielding object by more than 33 feet.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• GuidanceNational rule

  Shielded Operations in Controlled Airspace and Near Aerodromes

  The CAA NZ states that pilots may conduct shielded operations within controlled airspace and within 4km of an aerodrome (outside its boundary) provided they comply with the distance and height criteria specified in CATI 101-1.

  Open the requirementOfficial source
• GuidanceNational rule

  Shielded Operations Within 4km of Aerodromes

  CAA NZ states that to conduct a shielded operation within 4km of an aerodrome without prior authorization, there must be a physical barrier between the drone and the aerodrome that is higher than the drone to prevent it from flying towards the aerodrome.

  Open the requirementOfficial source

Official sources

• Civil Aviation Rules Part 71 — Designation and Classification of Airspace (consolidation) — Civil Aviation Authority of New ZealandOpen
• Civil Aviation Rules Part 101 — Gyrogliders and Parasails, Unmanned Aircraft (including Balloons), Kites, and Rockets — Operating Rules (consolidation) — Civil Aviation Authority of New ZealandOpen
• Civil Aviation Transport Instrument (CATI) 101-1 — technical standards for Part 101 operations — Civil Aviation Authority of New ZealandOpen
• CAA NZ — Flying your drone safely — Civil Aviation Authority of New ZealandOpen
• Advisory Circular AC101-1 — Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems under 25 kg operating under Part 101 — Civil Aviation Authority of New ZealandOpen

Known limitations

• Binding law and official guidance disagree on altitude.airport_related_limit; the binding position is published.
• Binding law and official guidance disagree on altitude.conditional_limits; the binding position is published.
• Binding law and official guidance disagree on altitude.structure_exception; the binding position is published.
• 2 dimension(s) of this topic are not expressed in a machine-resolvable way by the published corpus and are reported UNKNOWN, never FALSE.

Other drone rules in New Zealand

• Do I need to register my drone in New Zealand?Registration in New Zealand depends on the aircraft and the operation: it applies once the published conditions below are met, each cited to the rule that sets it.
• Can I fly a drone near an airport in New Zealand?No aerodrome permission of this kind is imposed in New Zealand for the operations covered here; a published rule states so expressly.
• Can I fly a drone at night in New Zealand?No. A published rule in New Zealand prohibits night operations for the operations covered here.
• When does a drone operation need authorisation in New Zealand?Whether an operation in New Zealand needs prior authorisation depends on the operational category, risk class or location: the published triggers below decide it.
• What training do I need to fly a drone in New Zealand?Proof of competency is required. Published rules in New Zealand require the remote pilot to hold the competency described below before operating.

All drone laws in New Zealand